For Global Big Day 2024, we will be raising funds to help Caribbean delegates attend our conference in the Dominican Republic. (Hispaniolan Woodpecker pictured in graphic, photo by Jose M Pantaleon)
Every year, on Global Big Day (GBD), bird enthusiasts and nature lovers head to the great outdoors to observe and record the incredible diversity of birds in their corners of the world. The observations help scientists and researchers monitor bird populations, track migration patterns, and identify habitats that require conservation attention. This event, organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eBird, encourages participation by individuals of all ages and skill levels.
We are thrilled to be hosting our exciting and popular teams competition this year on Saturday 11th May 2024. This year we are raising funds to provide support to Caribbean students and wildlife professionals to attend our 24th International Conference in the Dominican Republic. Having the opportunity to attend our conference can be a life-changing experience!
Rep your flag!
There will be national (individual islands) and multinational teams for birders of all backgrounds to join. We would love to have a national team for each Caribbean island so if you don’t see your island listed here, this is your opportunity to take up the mantle, create a team (we are here to help if needed), and showcase your island’s amazing birding community, ecosystems, and birdlife! You and your team have the power to make a significant impact on our understanding of Caribbean birds and their habitats!
Last year we had 17 teams compete with members spanning across 35 countries and raised over $20,000US for our Caribbean Bird Banding program. This year let’s go bigger—more islands, more vibes, more data—and show the world how passionate and serious we are about bird conservation!
24 joyous hours of watching birds, exploring new habitats, and making friends
During peak migration time in the spring, birders around the world head out to their favorite birding spots, or venture into new areas, to see, hear, and record as many bird species as they can in a 24-hr timeframe. Global Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. The data is entered into eBird (or eBird Caribbean specifically if you’re birding in the Caribbean).
No matter where you are—at home, a botanical garden, beach, river, or nature reserve—you can contribute important data, via eBird checklists, about the birds around you. You don’t need to be an expert birder or spend the entire day looking for birds. Just 10 minutes of birding in your backyard or from your balcony will count too.
A wetland in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eric Torres Rivera)
For some of us, birding is more enjoyable when done with a friend or a group. Pairs or groups can carpool, help out with tricky bird IDs, share equipment like spotting scopes …and possibly snacks!
St Vincent crew at the end of Global Big Day, tired but happy! Mike and Lisa Sorenson, Glenroy, Joanne and Maeson Gaymes, and Jeff Gerbracht.
Youth spotting birds for Global Big Day, Puerto Rico.
Flock of flamingoes at Margarita Island, Venezuela. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
We are calling on our community to bird together in virtual teams during Global Big Day and engage in friendly competition to see which team can:
1) collectively see the most species of birds, and
2) raise the most funds.
Funds raised by BirdsCaribbean GBD participating teams will be used to fund travel scholarships for Caribbean students and wildlife professionals to attend our conference this July!
Prizes/ bragging rights will be awarded to
Bee Hummingbird (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim)
the team with the most creative name!
the “country/island team” that sees the highest proportion of their birds on Global Big Day (to control for differences in the number of species on each island!)
the team with the best “find” of the day (unusual, rare, plumage aberration, etc.)
the team with the best bird photo of the day (must be posted on eBird along with your list)
Last year the Bee Hummers Dream Team from Cuba and the multinational Flying Pintails swept the competition. Will your team be the one to dethrone these champs?
Preparing for a memorable Global Big Day is easy!
Participating in our teams competition on Global Big Day involves a few simple steps we’re here to help you so you can make the most of this exciting day!
First things first, if you don’t already have one, download the eBird app and set up your account. You will need it to submit your checklist/s. It’s FREE and you can sign up here! Assemble your birdwatching gear: binoculars, field guide, pencil and notebook, camera, comfortable shoes, and a hat. Decide on the birding hotspots you want to visit during the day. Local parks, nature reserves, and wetlands are excellent locations to find a diverse range of bird species.
Click the ‘JOIN A TEAM’ button on the campaign page. You can choose to join an existing team OR create your own team.
If you choose to create a team, personalize it with a fun name, photo, and your own lingo. NOTE: if you need assistance creating your own team, email Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org and/or Christel.Mohammed@BirdsCaribbean.org and they’ll will get you set up pronto!
Once set up, you should then invite family, friends, colleagues, and members of your birding community to join your team and/or donate to your team. It helps to set your own personal fundraising goal to help your team reach its overall goal!
By inviting people to your team, you are:
(1) raising awareness for BirdsCaribbean and the critical bird research and conservation work we do in the region,
(2) helping to raise funds for travel scholarships, and
(3) promoting Global Big Day, citizen science, and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.
and/or . . .
2. Make a donation to one of the birding and fundraising teams.
By doing so, you will have helped Caribbean students and conservationists access mentorship, knowledge building fora, and networking opportunities that nurture and advance the future of Caribbean conservation; and encouraged that team to give it their all on Global Big Day.
and/or . . .
3. Commit to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 11), being sure to keep track of what you see and enter that information into eBird. We hope everyone will do this, whether or not they join a team or fundraise.
This will be a fun event to fundraise for and get excited about birds! Be ready to visit lots of birding hotspots, or set yourself up in a familiar spot and bird for as much of the day as possible, knowing that all of your teammates, friends, and BirdsCaribbean community members are doing the same!
If birding from the Caribbean, you should plan to submit your observations to eBird Caribbean. Then we’ll tally them up and see how we all did! We will send out more information about this as the event draws closer.
Why we need your support
The insular Caribbean is a critical region for birds. There are 180 species that occur here and nowhere else in the world! In addition, the islands provide a winter home for numerous migrants—many stay 6 months or longer—while others rely on the islands as stopover sites to rest and refuel during their long journeys north and south.
The Jamaican Blackbird lives in the forests of Cockpit Country and the Blue and John Crow Mountains. Its feeding style is similar to woodpeckers. It is threatened by destruction of its habitat (bauxite mining, illegal cultivation, etc.). (Photo by Judd Patterson)
Lesser Yellowlegs are a common migratory shorebird in the Caribbean; they are also one of the most hunted shorebirds in the Atlantic Flyway. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
The elusive Endangered Whistling Warbler, an endemic bird to Saint Vincent. (Photo by Judd Patterson)
The development of a strong regional conservation community, through capacity-building training and career development opportunities at the island level for local people, is critical to ensure the preservation of island birds and their habitats.
How your gift will be Used
This Global Big Day fundraiser will fund travel scholarships for Caribbean students and wildlife professionals to attend our upcoming International Conference, 18th – 22nd July, 2024, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. These are dedicated persons who are on the ground, doing the working everyday to secure a future for birds and their habitats. Attending the conference is an invaluable opportunity for them to 1) build upon or gain new skills to address threats to bird conservation on their respective islands, and 2) network with the wider conservation community, share their work, and learn from others. For Caribbean students, this experience will help to kickstart their introduction into the ornithological and conservation community and they will benefit from mentorship opportunities.
Puerto Rican conservationist, Laura Fidalgo, presenting on her research on the post hurricane habitat structure of the Elfin Woods Warbler, at the BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe.
Workshop Facilitator, Elijah Sands, from the Bahamas National Trust, uses videos from his portfolio to explain key concepts to the group. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop engage in classroom sessions before going out into the field. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Gabriel Diaz speaks about her work to protect the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic.
Participants in the Raptors of the Caribbean Workshop show off their bird of prey, a Secretary Bird, made from recycled materials. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
One group plans the activity they will teach to the rest of the workshop participants. (Photo by Gabriela Diaz)
BirdSleuth Caribbean Workshop group photo.
Participants sketch birds at the BirdSleuth workshop. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Bahamian conservationist, Dr Ancilleno Davis, explains how he converted eBird data into a dubstep track using analytical computer programmes R and Python, at the BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe.
Our plan is to raise funds to help cover travel costs that will allow deserving participants to attend—including covering registration, airfare and/or hotel costs as necessary.
As with everything in the Caribbean, we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do it together! We need your help to do this!
Their project involved providing binoculars and training to community and group leaders so that they would engage in bird monitoring and share the data through eBird Caribbean. These teams would then grow local birding clubs and raise awareness throughout Cuba of the need to protect birds and their habitats through community education and social media. These newly fledged birders would 1) help to put pressure on the authorities to enforce laws protecting wild birds, and 2) provide valuable citizen science data to eBird Caribbean, thereby increasing our knowledge of the status and trends of Cuban birds, including further identification of hotspots for endemism and migration stopover sites.
Cuban artist, photographer, and ornithologist Nils Navarro.
Yaro and Nils hit the ground running! They mobilized communities in almost every province in Cuba, connecting with persons from diverse backgrounds and converting them into passionate bird watchers and protectors—from hunters to hotel managers, from students to government workers. In this blog, Yaro shares achievements with us from their phenomenal first year, and tells us about the exciting next steps as their project continues to grow in influence.
What an amazing year our birding project had in Cuba! We want to share some of the incredible things that the Cuban birding community accomplished together during the past year. Cuba is home to a wealth of unique and endangered bird species, many of which are endemic and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Our conservation efforts are comprehensive—we don’t just work to preserve species, we also focus on raising awareness of the value and importance of birds through social networks, like Facebook and Whatsapp. Birds play a crucial role in pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control, and we recognize that their conservation is vital for the health of our ecosystems.
Gundlach’s Hawk perched. (Photo by Michael J. Good)
The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), endemic to Cuba, is the world’s smallest bird. Weighing less than 2g, it is not much bigger than a bee. It is classified as ‘Near Threatened’. (Photo by Ernesto Reyes)
The national bird of Cuba – the Cuban Trogon. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
Cuban Oriole. (Photo by Neil Hilton)
Empowering local leaders and building birding communities
Over the past year, our team identified passionate potential birding leaders in almost every province of Cuba and worked with them to form and maintain active Facebook communities. These groups strengthen our community. They expose illegal bird hunting and trapping activities on social media by reporting them to the relevant authorities. It has been a challenge, and there is still a lot to do, but we have certainly made progress. These birds now have our voice to champion their protection and we will continue to defend them.
“The first bird of the season has fallen” – August 2021 Facebook post by a bird trapper in Cuba showing a migratory warbler, the Northern Parula.
A Facebook page with thousands of subscribers announces the sale of 39 recently caught Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. Community birding groups are vigilant and report illegal trapping activities on social media to the authorities.
Over the course of the year, we organized exciting activities to promote birding, such as the Gundlach Weekend and Garrido Birding Day, October Big Day, and Global Big Day. Through these activities, we participated in global celebrations and citizen science events and helped add data to the eBird platform.
Exchanging trapping cages for binoculars—igniting passions for conservation
We also created a WhatsApp group to guide new bird enthusiasts; through this group we have organized expeditions to previously unexplored places. We have even confronted hunters, face to face, and have encouraged them to join us in birdwatching. And boy was it worth it! We made amazing discoveries, and even turned some local hunters into passionate birders!
Mixed flock of Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Glossy Ibisis flies over the rice fields, Chambas, Ciego de Ávila. (Photo by Eduardo Caraballo)
West Indian Whistling-Ducks having a snooze on a wetland in Cayo Coco, Cuba. (Photo by Max Schwenne)
Take for example, the story of Eduardo Caraballo: Eduardo used to be a fierce hunter but now he protects the waterbirds in the rice fields of Chambas, Ciego de Avila. He has actually become our local guide in that area! There is also Brayan Lazaro Calunga, a former Parakeet nest hunter who now protects them—he jealously guards the palms where they nest in the northern circuit of the wetlands of Bolivia, Ciego de Avila. Nicolas Peralta, a security chief at one of the hotels in Cayo Coco, has become a passionate bird watcher and destroys the bird cages he finds around the tourist facilities. Nicolas educates his workers, who are mainly gardeners, about why they should not engage in trapping. It’s amazing how we have changed lives!
Cuban Parakeet. (Photo by Jean Sébastion Guénette)
Saving the best for last—ending the year with a grand finale!
We closed the year with an incredible National Bird Identification Workshop where we connected with birders from almost every province! Under the theme, “United for Birds,” our community gathered for a week of intense work sessions, presentations, workshops, and field trips. The objectives of the National Bird Identification Workshop were to strengthen our bonds as a community; to share knowledge; and to act as eBird ambassadors by sharing everything we have learnt about using and contributing to the platform as citizen scientists. Workshop sessions included training in Bird Observation and Bird Photography for scientific documentation purposes, and learning how to use the Annotated List of The Birds of Cuba. We used this forum to not only reach the communities most vulnerable to illegal bird hunting, but also to strategize among our team about how we could encourage hunters to join us, especially as they often share our love for birds. This unique experience helped us to get to know each other better, share and learn from each other’s experiences in various areas, and continue adding more people to our community.
Attendees and facilitators of the inaugural National Bird Identification Workshop in Cuba. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
At the workshop, we launched the second edition of the Great Cuban Year! Our first Great Year in 2022 was a spectacular year-long birdwatching extravaganza with birders—old, new, and in-between—competing to observe and record the highest number of species! The Great Cuban Year encourages Cubans to don their Citizen Scientist caps and explore their island, while enjoying the birds in their natural habitats rather than in cages. (Cuba’s first Great Year was a fantastic success, with eBird checklists in April 2022 growing by a phenomenal 338%! The Great Cuban Year 2024 promises to soar to even greater heights!)
A Bahama Mockingbird on Cuba. (Photo by Arturo-Kirkconnell Jr- Macaulay Lirbrary-ML93392851)
Our National Bird Identification Workshop also gave us the opportunity to engage our community in the goal of “tying up loose ends of Cuban Ornithology.” These are gaps in our knowledge or things that remain to be clarified in Cuban ornithology—like determining whether particular species are breeding in Cuba, identifying important nesting sites for various species, and documenting records of new species for Cuba. We also shared protocols to follow when planning natural history studies, so that communities are empowered to contribute detailed information on the natural history of our birds.
Members of the Bird Observers Club presented the bird conservation work they are doing across the Cuban provinces. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
Attendees practicing their bird identification and photography skills in the field. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
Attendees at the National Bird Identification Workshop proudly display their name tags and bird ID sheets. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
Wency Rosales speaks about the club’s environmental education program in the province of Holguín. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
It was all a great success! The active participation of our community, the exciting engagement in friendly competition, and the transformation of some hunters to wildlife advocates are signs of our positive impact. While we faced challenges, such as resistance from some hunters and a shortage of fuel to travel to hard-to-reach areas, we also learned a lot. Our comprehensive strategy, which includes education, knowledge sharing, and awareness raising, has been key to our progress. Adaptability and collaboration were also essential factors. While we have overcome many obstacles, we understand that there is always more to learn.
A student labels the parts of a bird with help from an Aves Silvestres de Guisa club member. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)
Aves Silvestres de Guisa members birding with third grade students of Fabricio Ojeda School. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)
Completed parts of a bird diagram activity. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)
Our commitment to bird conservation with the birding community in Cuba goes beyond the simple thrill of spotting a rare species. It is a dedication to preserving our natural heritage while fostering a love for our birds, and to ensuring a harmonious coexistence between humans and birds. Together, we are not just birding; we are safeguarding the soul of our island. Thank you for being part of this amazing birding trip in Cuba! Together, we are making a difference and protecting our precious birds. Here’s to more in the coming year!
The Betty Petersen Conservation Fund seeks to advance the conservation status of birds and habitats in the Caribbean region through projects that engage and empower communities and stakeholders to protect and benefit sustainably from their birds. BirdsCaribbean encourages others to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our grants programs continue indefinitely. Empower Caribbean conservation by making a tax deductible gift here.
Aliya Hosein, Co-Regional Coordinator of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
One of the issues that the birding community has been working on for the last several years is how we can be more welcoming and inclusive of all birders—beginner birders and future potential birders—to join us and share the joy of birding. It’s an issue to which passionate birders, Hannah Buschert, and her husband Erik, have given a great deal of thought, and which led to the creation of Women Birders (Happy Hour) podcast.
Their ‘happy hour’ podcast is dedicated to broadcasting the lived experiences of women, from diverse backgrounds, who love birds. And of course, it’s not happy hour without cocktails! For each episode, Hannah delights us with a unique, bird-inspired alcoholic concoction based on a species mentioned in the interview.
BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival Co-Regional Coordinator, Aliya Hosein chats with Hannah about fond memories of watching backyard birds with her father, growing and nurturing a bird watching community, how bird watching provides moments of wonder and encourages mindfulness, and the achievements that can be made when local and international conservationists join forces to reintroduce an extirpated native macaw in Trinidad in this insightful episode!
Blue-and-yellow Macaw in flight. (Photo by Luc Viator)
Aliya graduated from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus with a B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc. in Sustainable Development and Conservation in the Caribbean (with Distinction). Her master’s thesis focused on the abundance of Red-bellied Macaws in relation to fruiting Moriche Palms in an edaphic savanna ecosystem. She is an alumna of the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Program. In 2017, Aliya attended our International Conference in Cuba and presented her research studying patterns of interaction between humans and Blue and Gold Macaws within farming and urban communities. Before joining BirdsCaribbean she worked on multiple projects applying social science tools to influence behavior towards more environmentally-friendly practices, including a behavior-change project to reduce the illegal buying and keeping of wild parrots in Trinidad and Tobago.
Red-bellied Macaws feeding on Moriche Palm fruits. (Photo by Neil Bowman)
Moriche Palms in the Aripo Savannas. (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
Red-bellied Macaws in flight.
Aliya now works full-time for BirdsCaribbean on our Communications Team, writing, editing, and developing exciting content to educate and engage people year-round in learning about birds, and as Co-Regional Coordinator of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). Here Aliya works with a team of bird educators and coordinators across the region to raise awareness about our endemic birds and the actions that can be taken to reduce threats to their survival and habitats.
Grab yourself a drink (might we suggest Hannah’s Blue and Gold Macaw cocktail below?), kick back, and settle into happy hour with Hannah and Aliya! It’s an inspiring podchat about the mentors and experiences that helped shape Aliya’s career in bird conservation and communicating science to motivate action to protect birds and their habitats.
Enjoy!
Listen
Choose your preferred podcast platform to listen to Aliya’s interview by clicking the image above or this Buzzsprout link.
Delight your taste buds with this tropical Blue and Gold Macaw cocktail
Hannah Buschert, host of the Women Birders (Happy Hour) Podcast.
In case you missed Hannah’s podcasts with our President, Dr Adrianne Tossas, and Caribbean Bird banding Program Coordinator, Holly Garrod, check them out here:
BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Just Published in JCO.” Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, explores the innovative methods Caribbean researchers are using to overcome the challenges of monitoring bird populations.
Roseate Tern adult on its nest incubating an egg and panting in the heat. Shark Cay, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. (Photo by Daniel Nellis)
Long-term monitoring of bird populations would be a breeze if scientists had unlimited time and money. In the real world, however, monitoring efforts are limited by funding, access, trained personnel, and time. This is the case throughout the Caribbean, especially on the more remote islands and cays. So how do we navigate these many challenges to collect the critical information we need to manage and conserve our bird populations? In three papers recently published inVolume 36 of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, researchers across the region explore our options—from synthesizing historical data to exploring new technologies, to maximizing the power of citizen science!
The value in historical surveys
Quality bird survey data is worth its weight in gold, but surveys conducted over different periods with different objectives and priorities can be difficult to compare. Nevertheless, these comparisons are necessary to identify trends in populations. Where consistent long-term monitoring data are lacking, it is possible to compare even a single season’s worth of historical data with current surveys to approximate trends.
This is precisely what Dr. Paige Byerly and her colleagues did with seabird data from the Virgin Islands, a region which is critical for breeding seabirds in the Caribbean. In their article “Current status and 21st century population trends of breeding seabirds in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands,” the researchers focused on seven species of seabirds (boobies, terns, and pelicans) known to breed in the archipelago, and compared data from the early 2000s with their own surveys conducted in 2016-2018. Whilst the population trends they found were dismaying, they were incredibly timely and necessary for the effective management of these birds and their breeding sites. Paige and colleagues demonstrate here that it is not impossible to form a cohesive picture from various disparate surveys over time—thus highlighting one way to make the most of the limited data available in the Caribbean.
Extent of study region in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands with locations of important seabird nesting islands.
The light morph of the Red-footed Booby. (Photo by Andrew Wright)
A pair of breeding Brown pelicans and their hungry chick. (Photo by Nelson Biffar)
New technologies for monitoring
The logistical problems of access and funding for surveys are compounded on the remote cays that are preferred by seabirds. A few miles east of the Virgin Islands, in Anguilla, the National Trust has been exploring their options to increase the efficiency of their monitoring efforts. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is an emerging tool that uses recording units and automated species recognition software to identify the birds present at a site. In 2020, Dr. Louise Soanes and her former colleagues at the Anguilla National Trust launched a pilot project to test the utility of this tool in the Caribbean context. By deploying recording units at several study sites and ground-truthing with regular point counts, they were able to compare the accuracy and effectiveness of PAM to more traditional point counting.
PAM is not without its kinks, of course, as species recognition software is not yet well developed for Caribbean birds (and their many dialects), which leads to many misidentifications. However, with time and additions to the database (which you can contribute to!), these automated identifications will improve. In their paper “Passive acoustic monitoring of birds in the Lesser Antilles—a useful tool for monitoring remote sites?”, Louise and colleagues describe these results and present recommendations for the best use of PAM throughout the region. With further testing and more widespread implementation, this tool has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of monitoring, especially in remote and hard-to-access areas, and can support the establishment of more long-term monitoring programs in the region.
Small wading birds that are rarely recorded on Anguilla, like the Wilson’s Plover, were detected by the ARUs but not point counts. (Photo by Andy Morffew)
A few species of birds, like the Pied-billed Grebe, were not detected by the ARUs possibly because they were too far from the unit for vocalizations to be recorded. (Photo by Becky Matsubara)
Some common birds on Anguilla, like the Mangrove Cuckoo, were only detected by ARUs during the survey. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
The SwiftOne Autonomous Recording Unit enhances research and conservation efforts by offering better energy efficiency, a more precise clock, greater customization for frequency settings, voice memos, and greater microphone sensitivity. (Photo by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Dr. Soanes is also the Seabird Census Coordinator for the BirdsCaribbean Seabird Working Group, which recently shared preliminary results from thefirst-ever Caribbean Seabird Census in a webinar you can watchhere!
Making the most of citizen science
Citizen science data, like eBird records and community-mobilized surveys, provide a seemingly obvious solution to the various logistical and resource challenges of data collection in the Caribbean, but using these data comes with its own challenges. Because survey methods are unstandardized and user experience can vary greatly, from novice and casual birders to trained ornithologists, citizen science data must be taken—and analyzed—with a grain of salt. Some questions to consider are: how does observer experience affect detectability of birds in the field? And do observers perform differently depending on survey design (single- or double-observer) and who they are paired with? To answer these questions and more, graduate student Nicholas Bergen conducted his thesis research in Grenada using a citizen science experiment.
Detailed in their article “Effects of observer skill and survey method on forest bird abundance data: recommendations for citizen science conservation monitoring in the Caribbean,” Nicholas and colleagues involved 34 different observers (myself included!) in over 400 surveys across the island. By pairing observers of different skill levels and conducting both point-count and transect surveys, they were able to identify the most efficient survey type for citizen scientists (spoiler alert: it was point counts) and draw correlations between observer skill level and the detectability of different species. The authors provide several practical recommendations for the design and implementation of citizen science-based monitoring programs in the region including ideal timing, protocols, and observer pairings for the surveys.
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
However, you do not have to create your own citizen science programs from scratch! eBirdis an incredible but underutilized resource in the Caribbean. Millions of observations from around the world and thousands of checklists from the Caribbean have been verified by Cornell Lab and uploaded to the database. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, creator and maintainer of the eBird database, has produced acomprehensive guide to the use of eBird data, including accounting for its various biases. With these challenges in mind, it is a goldmine of observations that can tell us lots about understudied areas and islands in the region, from “recording” new (previously unreported) species to identifying trends of decline. A few years ago, in our Volume 33,Ruby Bagwyn et al. used eBird data from The Bahamas to identify over 40 bird populations that had not been recorded over an 8-year period, highlighting the areas and species most in need of updated surveys. They suggested that we should use eBird to harness “the observational power of birdwatchers…to provide timely notice of declining or missing populations,” and spur us into action to prevent their extinction or extirpation.
These three examples from Volume 36 are just a sample of the incredible and innovative work being done across the Caribbean by researchers invested in our birds and their wellbeing. BirdsCaribbean is continually supporting monitoring in the region by adding to the skill sets and knowledge of Caribbean researchers through our capacity building efforts, including through our Seabird Working Group,Caribbean Waterbird Census program, Landbird Monitoring Network, and Caribbean Bird Banding Network. You can support our efforts to equip Caribbean nationals with the skills and resources they need to protect the region’s endemic, resident, and migratory birds here.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is a peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region, publishing in English, Spanish, and French. We welcome manuscripts covering the biology, ecology, behavior, life history, and conservation of Caribbean birds and their habitats. The JCO also publishes conservation reports and mentors inexperienced authors to help them develop their manuscript for publication. The JCO relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO.
BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Just Published in JCO.” Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at various research on birds and their conservation in Grenada.
Ramon Williams and John Holas conducting bird surveys on Hog Island.
Our feathered friends do not have it easy in today’s world. They face a myriad of threats from hunting, to habitat loss and land-use change, to climate change and all its related impacts. These challenges are especially felt by bird communities on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like those in the Caribbean. These small islands are subject to unique economic, social, and ecological pressures, which translate to a unique set of challenges for resident fauna, and puzzling questions for those of us involved in their conservation. How are birds using and responding to natural and anthropogenic habitats on these islands? In what ways does this use differ from the well-studied continental regions? And critically, how should this inform conservation and management measures here in the Caribbean?
Using Grenada as a case study for his master’s thesis research, Ramon Williams, a local biologist, sought to explore some of these questions. In their recently published article “Avian use of anthropogenic and natural habitats in a Small Island Developing State,” Ramon and his advisors present some of their critical findings, including habitat preferences for some of the regionally endemic and range-restricted species we know and love. Ramon recently shared his findings in a webinar hosted by Gaea Conservation Network, which you can viewhere. We wanted to learn even more about his behind-the-scenes process, so Zoya Buckmire, Lead Copy Editor of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) and fellow Grenadian, reached out to the author with the following questions (responses have been edited for flow).
How did you first conceive of this study, and what motivated you to conduct this research?
We conceived this study because Grenada was lacking a comprehensive scientific survey to shed light on how anthropogenic disturbance affects the terrestrial bird community. As Grenada is a SIDS that has been undergoing rapid developmental changes, we found it important to understand the effects of these environmental changes on birds so that adequate conservation strategies could be implemented to help conserve both avian species and their habitats.
Comprehensive surveys for Grenada are few and far between, but Ramon’s work built upon the Ellie Devenish-Nelson and Howard Nelson’s “Abundance and density estimates of landbirds on Grenada,” published just two years prior in the JCO.
Tell us about a memorable moment during field research or data analysis.
My best memory during field research was when I had an incidental observation of the endemic Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus). Although we did not observe any Hook-billed Kites during our scheduled surveys, the incidental observation was spectacular! On 2 August 2017, we had to cancel our data collection due to rainy weather. At about noon, it was raining heavily, and as I stood on the balcony of my residence in La Fortune, Saint Patrick—I noticed a Hook-billed Kite up in the secondary forest canopy! I grabbed my binoculars and my phone and went out into the pouring rain to capture some low-quality photos and video of the kite.
Grenada’s endemic subspecies of the Hook-billed Kite is considered to be Endangered. (Photo by Andrea Easter-Pilcher)
A Grenada Hook-billed Kite chick. Female and male Hook-billed Kites work together to build their nests, which are shallow and cup-shaped and built from small twigs and sticks.
Male Hook-billed Kites tend to be a solid bluish-gray color on their heads and backs, while their breasts are grayish and adorned with pale streaking in horizontal bars. (Photo by Andrea Easter-Pilcher)
Tell us about a challenge you had to overcome during fieldwork or data analysis.
Our biggest challenge was navigating the unpredictable weather during fieldwork. On 1 August 2017, we went to Hog Island (one of Grenada’s many cays) to conduct one of our field surveys. While the survey was successful, the rain started pouring around 9 am and we had nowhere to shelter our field equipment on the uninhabited island. We resorted to using a trash bag to shelter our equipment from water damage.
Ramon and his team had to navigate unpredictable weather on Hog Island but they persevered and completed the bird surveys.
Run for cover! Ramon had to quickly use a trash bag to protect his equipment from the sudden rain.
Quincy Augustine, one of Ramon’s field assistants, attempting to navigate a flooded trail.
One of the key findings from Ramon’s research was that the birds in Grenada used a variety of habitats, including anthropogenic ones like agricultural and rural areas. While these human-altered landscapes supported higher densities of birds than natural cloud and secondary forests, the latter hosted more habitat specialists and species of conservation concern. Regional endemics like the Grenada Flycatcher (restricted to the Grenada Bank) rely on secondary forest and mature lowlands including mangroves. This demonstrates that while “natural” habitats are critical for birds, human-altered landscapes are also an important part of the available habitat mosaic—and they should all be maintained for our feathered friends.
What are your hopes for what your research will lead to?
We hope that our research can serve as a baseline for further research and help inform conservation decisions. As anthropogenic development continues in Grenada and other Caribbean islands with similar species and habitat requirements, further research is needed to monitor how the avian community is responding to the changing environment.
Will this work impact your own research agenda going forward?
Yes, we are continuing to conduct research on Grenada’s birds, and are currently working on research with Bananaquits—of which we have a melanistic subspecies in Grenada (Coereba flaveola aterrima).
Bananaquits are found throughout the Caribbean. They have a sharp, curved bill, black head and upperparts with a white eyestripe, gray throat, and yellow underparts. (Photo by Dominic Sherony)
The majority of Bananaquits in Grenada are of the black morph. (Photo by Paulson Des Brisay)
Is there anything else you would like to share?
We conducted a field outreach exercise on the island of Carriacou with both elementary and high school students. The primary goal of the exercise was to help the children with bird identification and hopefully inspire future ornithologists. The exercise had two phases: the first phase was a presentation on the defining identification characteristics of terrestrial birds; and the second phase involved a brief birdwatching exercise.
Ramon with primary school students in Carriacou after his bird identification presentation.
School students in Carriacou were led, by Ramon, through a short birdwatching activity around the school’s grounds.
Other recent work from Grenada
A heartening amount of important bird research has been published about Grenada’s birds in the last few years, most of which emerged from the former Koper Lab at the University of Manitoba (now at the University of Northern British Columbia). As a Koper Lab alum myself, I actually got my first exposure to the lab and their work through assisting with Nicholas Bergen’scitizen science experiment in 2016. From the lab’s bird banding activities, Alexandra Heathcote et al. publishedmorphological comparisons of a few resident landbird species, and Christopher De Ruyck did his dissertation onlandbird diets and the importance of agroecosystems as habitat. Those same banding activities led to the recognition of thesong variation of Grenada’s House Wrens and documentation of theirmorphological differences, contributing to Grenada’s population being declared its own subspecies (Troglodytes aedon grenadensis)!
Grenada House Wren singing. (Photo by Kim Wetten)
Ezra Campbell, another local biologist and Koper Lab alum, researched native raptors for her thesis, and her findings on theBroad-winged Hawk population were also published in the JCO in 2022. That same year, Arnaud Lenoble and colleagues published their research on theHook-billed Kite’s diet on the island. Ezra’s study found that Broad-winged Hawks are doing well in Grenada, where they are widely distributed and adapting well to changing environments, possibly to the detriment of the more specialized Hook-billed Kites. The hawks were even observed using old kite nesting trees and exhibiting aggressive behavior towards them, possibly pushing the endemic raptor out of its optimal habitat. A case of mistaken identity—where kites are often prosecuted for the chicken-stealing activities of the hawk (aptly nicknamed “chicken hawk” on the island)—further puts the kites at risk. Combined with Arnaud’s findings of the kite’s preference for medium-sized snails, which vary with the seasons and site and restrict the availability of suitable habitat, this endemic subspecies seems to have the odds stacked against it. Both of these studies emphasize the importance of further research to identify and protect suitable habitat for both species.
Broad-winged Hawk. (Photo by Ezra Campbell)
And a lot remains yet unpublished. For instance,eBird records indicate the presence/occurrence of 171 species in Grenada, a significant increase over the last record of 153 species from the 2019Complete Checklist of the Birds of the West Indies. Many of these “new” species have been recorded in the last 5 years by avid birders on the island, and if/when these records get published, they will contribute to our knowledge of the biodiversity, species distributions and population statuses across the region. Grenada is also part of the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Network, with several local biologists being trained over the last few years in bird banding and landbird surveys using the PROALAS protocol. In fact, our next Bird Banding Workshop is being hosted in Grenada in early March, so stay tuned for updates on this! Together, these advances reassure me that for Grenada, the future of ornithology—and of the birds we are working to preserve—is bright.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is a peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region. We welcome manuscripts covering the biology, ecology, behavior, life history, and conservation of Caribbean birds and their habitats. The JCO also publishes conservation reports and mentors inexperienced authors to help them develop their manuscript for publication. The JCO relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO.
We are pleased to share with you the new edition of the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba, number 7, 2024, by Nils Navarro Pacheco.
The Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba is an annual publication that constitutes the most complete and updated official list of Cuban avifauna. It is the result of a deep and thorough bibliographic review and updating from the field. It serves as a basis for generating regional and global listings and is standardized for use with eBird.
The main objective is to provide up-to-date annual listings of Cuban birds, including reference information on each new report and general statistics about Cuban birdlife, and to serve as a reference platform for ornithological studies in the country. The increasing number of bird-watching tourists on the island as well as more bird monitoring by Cuban biologists and the rapidly-growing Cuban birding community are contributing to an increase in the number of previously unrecorded species entering the list every year. Furthermore, the influence of climate change is producing altered patterns of migratory movements in many species.
The new list has been enriched with 6 new records—3 of these were added to Cuba’s main list to bring the new Cuban total to 404 species. The other three records comprised two exotic species, and another which is currently classified as ‘dubious.’ Beyond the numbers though, splits announced in the American Ornithological Society 64th Supplement to the Checklist of North American Birds means that Cuba now boasts 3 more Cuban, rather than West Indian, endemic species! Cuba welcomes the Cuban Nightjar ( Greater Antillean Nightjar split to Cuban Nightjar and Hispaniolan Nightjar), the Cuban Palm-Crow (Palm Crow split to Cuban Palm-Crow and Hispaniolan Palm-Crow) and the Cuban Bullfinch (split from the Cuban Bullfinch into the Grand Cayman and Cuban Bullfinches, making the Cuban Bullfinch a true Cuban endemic!).
This year’s cover features a captivating photo of the beautifully plumaged Western Spindalis, Cuban subspecies (Spindalis zena pretrei), taken by Yadiel Veunes, in the Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt. The Western Spindalis belongs to the Spindalidae family which is a recognized family of songbirds endemic to the Caribbean. Spindalises were formerly classified as members of Thraupidae (or “tanagers”) but have since been reclassified as a separate family based on genetic studies. There are five subspecies of Western Spindalis one of which is the Cuban subspecies!
The 2024 checklist is now available in PDF for free download from the BirdsCaribbean website (see below). The printed version is available on Amazon at a good price. It is not intended to be a field identification guide but is a checklist, updated in accordance with the 64th supplement of AOS. Nils and the publisher, Ediciones Nuevos Mundos, hope this publication fulfills its role and is useful to all persons interested in Cuban birds and ornithology. Nils welcomes questions or suggestions about the checklist (Nils Navarro).
This checklist edition is dedicated to the memory of Jim Wiley, a great friend, extraordinary person and scientist, a guiding light of Caribbean ornithology. He crossed many troubled waters in pursuit of expanding our knowledge of Cuban birds.
If you are looking for a Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba, you can purchase it here or on Amazon.
Past checklists are all available for download, click on the images below to download a pdf of each.
We’re buzzing with excitement! The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) returns this spring to offer an immersive experience that combines the region’s iconic birds and mesmerizing ecosystems with the vibrant energy of our diverse cultures.
The festival begins on April 22nd (Earth Day) and runs through May 22nd (International Biodiversity Day). This annual regional event highlights the amazing birds that live only in the Caribbean—their natural history, the threats to their survival, and how we can help reduce these threats. This year’s theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.”
Yummy! Bugs for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and growing baby birds
While some people may shriek at the sight of these tiny creatures (and rightfully so because our brains confuse fear with disgust, and some insects are actually harmful to us), they are an important delicacy for birds. For our dazzling hummingbirds, our captivating todies, swooping swifts and swallows, darting flycatchers, pewees and potoos, drilling woodpeckers, and many other birds—insects are an essential protein source. They keep up birds’ energy and body mass, and are also critical for nurturing healthy baby birds.
Black-crowned Palm Tanager with chick. (Photo by Dax Roman)
The Cuban Oriole will feed on soft fruits, nectar, and insects too. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim)
Guadeloupe Woodpecker. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix)
A female Vervain Hummingbird feeds her chicks. (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)
The Bahama Swallow feeds mainly on flies and beetles. (Photo by Elijah Sands)
Insects are on the decline… But what can we do?
Unfortunately, a study published in the Journal of Biological Conservation reported that 40% of all insect species are declining globally. Loss of natural areas like forests and grasslands that have been converted or degraded by intensive agriculture as well as urban development and pesticide use have all contributed to this downward population trend. The decline of insects has led to a worldwide population decrease among birds, especially insectivorous birds. A scarcity of this protein-rich food source can reduce reproductive success, lead to weakened immune systems, and increased mortality rates for both adult birds and their offspring. In addition, scientific literature points to climate change and its stressors as posing a growing global threat to insect and bird diversity. This decline in insect populations adversely affects the ecosystem services that they provide to us all.
A male Carmine Skimmer. (Photo by Charles J Sharp)
This CEBF, we would love for you to join us in taking proactive conservation measures for insects: for example, by reducing your use of pesticides and herbicides, growing native plants, and limiting the use of exterior lighting around your house at night. And please, do also use your voice to counter the negative perceptions of insects, that they are “scary” and “gross.” Insects are pollinators, prey, physical decomposers, they advance progress in science and technology, and they provide pleasure. Writing blogs, newspaper articles, essays for school, taking interesting photos, and posting informative videos about insects on social media are ways to change these perceptions, and to increase appreciation within your community. Writing about, for example, their incredible adaptations, is one way of getting the message across about how important insects are to our ecosystems—and how fascinating!
Cuban subspecies of the bird grasshopper. (Photo by geosesarma)
Female Monarch Butterfly. Monarch Butterflies feed on poisonous milkweed. The toxins accumulate in the butterfly without harming it but are effective at deterring predators. (Photo by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson)
Ladybirds provide a natural way to control insect pests like aphids. (Photo by Charlotte Descamps)
Art for conservation: Supporting the protection of Caribbean birds and nature
The CEBF team has been busy preparing another stellar line-up for Endemic Bird of the Day! Our lips are sealed when it comes to this year’s selected species! But we are more than thrilled to share that Cuban ornithologist, photographer and scientific illustrator, Arnaldo Toledo, is currently busy sketching birds and mixing colors to create this year’s endemic bird coloring pages!
Artist, Arnaldo Toledo, at work.
Phase 1: Sketches of the Puerto Rican Tody begin the design by Arnaldo Toledo.
Phase 2: Painting begins with inspiration from the initial sketches.
Phase 3: Finishing touches are added to the bird and its surroundings.
Arnaldo skillfully captures the beauty of our natural world. His drawings bring a sense of wonder, joy, and appreciation for nature to children and adults. He was the artist behind our popular AOS-BC Conference t-shirt in 2022 and the grand prize winner of our first-ever Zine Competition for our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival in 2021.
Alongside Arnaldo’s drawings, we will provide natural history information, range maps, puzzles, photos, videos, and activities, all designed to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and enjoyment for both adults and children.
Celebrating birds, biodiversity, and beautiful Caribbean people
For over 22 years our amazing CEBF island coordinators and educators have been celebrating with festivities on their respective islands through in-person and online events. Thousands of people, of all backgrounds and abilities, flock to these events to explore nature, share knowledge about birds, and strengthen their commitment to environmental stewardship. Birdwatching trips, presentations, arts and crafts, bird fairs, habitat clean-ups, and birdscaping of home gardens, schools, and parks with native plants are just a handful of the events that will take place across the region this year. You don’t want to miss this feathered fiesta!
Find a CEBF event and celebrate!
We encourage you to get in touch with your local conservation organizations to find out what events are taking place near you—and this includes forestry departments too!
Looking for a CEBF event on your island? Check our map below for what is going on near you!
If you are a CEBF event organizer and would like to add your in-person, virtual or hybrid event(s) to this map please use this Google form to register your event with us. The information you provide will then be used to populate the map above. If your event is a presentation being held at a school or university and is not open to the public you can still fill out the form, but state that it is closed to the public.
You can also get together with your friends and family, or community groups, and plan your own event. We have lots of activities on our website and on our YouTube page: quizzes, ‘Learn to Sketch’ and origami tutorials, bug hunts, upcycled crafts, outdoor games, and many more that you can do in small or large groups.
Cadets plant bird-friendly trees at Battle of Las Carreras Military Academy in the Dominican Republic.
Student bird poster on display at the Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Grupo Acción Ecológica)
Yaritza Bobonis with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Justin Saunders of Birdlife Jamaica helps with bird identification at Hope Gardens. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
We did it! Students display the results of their BirdSleuth Caribbean Scavenger Hunt in Salt River, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
How long are your ‘wings’? A member of Conservation Opportunity measures her arm length against a bird wingspan poster. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Students from St. Martin Primary School in Dominica planted native plants for CEBF 2018.
The Conservation Opportunity cleanup crew. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Children and ARC Conservation members wear their hand crafted masks.
Bird nests on display at CEBF event at El Yunque Forest. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
Winning submission by Scarlett Evans for the Kids Art Contest (8-12 years) titled “Yellow Belly.” (Image courtesy Cayman Birding)
Don’t forget to tag us in your photos and videos @birdscaribbean on social media with #CEBF #FromTheNest #ProtectInsectsProtectBirds
CEBF Small Grants—Apply Now
Thanks to our generous donors, BirdsCaribbean is able to offer small grants to help cover some CEBF expenses! To apply, send a short proposal via this form, no later than Friday, March, 8th, 2024: bit.ly/CEBF-Grant-2024
Here are some CEBF events we funded in 2023 and 2022. All projects submitted for consideration must be relevant to this year’s theme, “Protect Insects, Protect Birds,” and BirdsCaribbean’s mission to protect birds and their habitats through science and education. All registered non-profit, civil society, or community-based organizations operating within local communities across the Caribbean are eligible for funding. Organizations directly funded from state budgets such as environmental departments or agencies within government ministries are also eligible for funding. Remember to include in your budget any in-kind funding you can offer such as volunteer staff time, materials, etc.
Dr. Lourdes Mugica and the Bird Ecology Group share educational materials on birds with the local community and children in Cuba for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
If you are unable to submit your application for a small grant via the google form (see link above), you may send your proposal to CEBF Co-Coordinators: Eduardo Llegus (CEBF@BirdsCaribbean.org) & Aliya Hosein (Aliya.Hosein@BirdsCaribbean.org), and Lisa Sorenson (Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org) with the subject line: CEBF Small Grant Proposal 2024.Please contact Eduardo Llegus if you have any questions about submitting an application. We are looking forward to hearing about the many exciting activities you will be organizing this year.
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival is a great way to learn more about birds and connect with nature. Your support ensures that our resources, which help both adults and children learn about how to protect birds, remain free and accessible. If you would like to make a contribution, please click here.
BirdsCaribbean is pleased to announce the 2024 cohort of grantees under two prestigious named awards, the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, and the James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.
These twelve projects aim to advance the study and conservation of avifauna in seven different Caribbean countries: Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico (offshore islands in the Caribbean Sea), St. Eustatius, and The Bahamas.
In this article you can read about the exciting plans proposed by each awardee. Stay tuned for results and accomplishments featured in future issues of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, blog articles, and presentations at our upcoming 24th BirdsCaribbean International Conference in Dominican Republic this summer.
Congratulations to these outstanding researchers and conservationists from our BirdsCaribbean community!
Establishing baselines in research, data and science for birds (BiRDS for birds) in The Bahamas
Dr Ancilleno Davis, Science and Perspective & University of The Bahamas
Baselines in Research, Data, and Science for birds (BiRDS for birds) is a program to establish baseline data for bird diversity, population estimates, and research or scientific standards that can be applied to research and conservation activities throughout The Bahamas. The program will provide training in the use of bird monitoring protocols and access to optical equipment to local students along with opportunities to participate in wildlife assessments. It is expected that this project will improve local biodiversity knowledge, and ultimately, will help trainees to have better opportunities for obtaining jobs in conservation in The Bahamas and insular Caribbean.
Distribution shifts of the Oriente Warbler: species assessment in Villa Clara province, Cuba
Claudia Mantilla, Center for Environmental Studies and Services of Villa Clara, Cuba
The Oriente Warbler (Teretistris fornsi) is endemic to central-eastern Cuba. In recent years, occasional sightings have been recorded in provinces outside its known range, such as south of Cienfuegos and north of Villa Clara. In this project, Claudia will conduct population surveys and bird banding to understand the species’ distribution in the westernmost part of the central region of the country (Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Villa Clara), where it also overlaps with the congeneric Yellow-headed Warbler (T. fernandinae). The goal of this study is to determine the ecological requirements of the Oriente Warbler in order to promote the conservation of its habitat, since only 16% of its distribution is within protected areas.
Understanding the importance of a small urban park for conserving migratory and resident bird species in Havana
Daniela Ventura, University of Havana, Cuba
Havana is home for 47% of the bird species of Cuba, and is an important stopover and wintering site for migratory birds. Research efforts have been conducted in green spaces located in the less densely populated municipalities of the capital. Thus, to obtain a better understanding of urban bird communities within Havana, Daniela plans to expand a banding scheme initiated as part of BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Bird Banding Network to the Quinta de Los Molinos Park. Specifically, she intends to evaluate the migration phenology of Neotropical migratory birds that use the site as a stopover or wintering area, and determine the survival and overall physical conditions of migrant and resident bird species. The project will provide an indirect measure of the importance of urban forest fragments for supporting biodiversity, and will increase the awareness of park visitors about the need to protect wild birds.
Raising awareness and education on the endangered Jamaican Blackbird in a National Park
Justin Saunders, BirdLife Jamaica
In this project, Justin and a team of collaborators from BirdLife Jamaica, aim to create an innovative public education campaign to raise awareness about the endangered Jamaican Blackbird (Nesopsar nigerrimus) and its habitat in the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. The project includes the development of educational signs within the park and the creation of a basic virtual tour to engage a broader audience. The educational outcomes will be evaluated at educational events at the park. The plan will be implemented in partnership with the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust, Jamaica Environment Trust, and the National Environment Planning Agency.
Conservation ecology of the Puerto Rican Oriole
Michael Ocasio, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Conserving Caribbean island endemics, like the Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis), requires an increased and specific understanding of the threats faced by these species. Notably, the Puerto Rican Oriole has shown worrying signs of reproductive challenges, including high rates of brood parasitism and low reproductive success. In this project, Michael aims to assess the oriole’s population dynamics through point counts, banding, radio tracking, and nest monitoring across different habitats and elevations. His results on the species abundance, survival, and reproductive success will contribute to the Puerto Rico State Wildlife Action Plan, the USGS list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need, and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, while also fostering collaborative and effective conservation efforts in the Caribbean.
Investigating male and female vocalizations of an understudied endemic Caribbean songbird in Puerto Rico
Michelle Moyer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis), one of 18 endemic species on the island of Puerto Rico, remains significantly understudied. Improving our understanding of how the orioles use sex-specific songs is necessary to develop effective conservation management plans. Preliminary work in 2023 indicated that male and female orioles may sing different songs, but at similar rates. Increasing the sample size by recording additional individuals is crucial for gaining an accurate understanding of the singing behavior of this species. Through this project, Michelle will engage undergraduate students from the University of Puerto Rico in point counts and mist-netting, and intends to co-develop management strategies in collaboration with Para La Naturaleza.
Understanding the social and spatial organization of the Palmchat in the Dominican Republic
Qwahn Kent, Princeton University
In this project, Qwahn aims to investigate the social and spatial organization of the Palmchat (Dulus dominicus), a communally breeding bird endemic to Hispaniola. The Palmchat plays a crucial role in the ecosystem—it disperses seeds and provides nesting sites for several species, including the critically endangered Ridgway’s Hawk, which nests on top of Palmchat nests. Qwahn will band individual Palmchats and will use a social network analysis to understand their complex organizations. Morphological features of nesting trees will be measured, and a machine learning algorithm will be developed to predict Palmchat nest locations. This research has conservation implications, since the spatial organization of Palmchat nests and their movement patterns influence both patterns of seed dispersal, as well as nest site availability for the hawks.
Help the Bridled Tern return to Isla Contoy National Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Jonathan Nochebuena, Mexican Association for the Conservation of Birds and their Habitats (AMCAH)
The Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) breeds on Isla Contoy, a small Island off the Caribbean coast of Yucatan, Mexico, which is considered a site of international importance for the conservation of seabirds. In 2019, AMCAH started a project to protect the terns’ nesting areas, with the support of park managers and the local group Friends of Isla Contoy. This new project intends to continue the monitoring and banding efforts with community participation, and to develop measures to help increase the species’ population. This initiative will also help raise community awareness about threats to seabirds in general.
Avifauna of Las Balsas wetland, Gibara, Holguín, Cuba
Ailen Anido, Museo de Historia Natural Joaquín Fernández de la Vara, Gibara
The wetland Balsas de Gibara in Holguin consists of a large area of mangroves, coastal lagoons, mudflats, and salt marshes located between two rivers that flow into Gibara Bay. High concentrations of waterfowl have been reported in this site, including new bird species for Cuba. Ailen and her team will carry out an inventory of the birdlife of this important site using BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Waterbird Census protocols. They will train local residents in bird identification and survey techniques to engage them in the field work throughout the year. She also intends to increase awareness of the high ecological value of this protected area by promoting sustainable practices, such as the creation of a birdwatching club and bolstering bird and nature tourism.
Update of the status and trends of American Flamingos in Cuba
Susana Aguilar, University of Havana
The Cuban population of the American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), the only flamingo distributed through the Caribbean, is one of the most important in the region. The species depends on estuaries and saline lagoons, making it vulnerable to climate change. In this project, Susana seeks to update the information about the status of the American Flamingo in the island by assessing its current distribution, and estimating its abundance and number of nests in the breeding sites. She and her team will carry out field expeditions to verify new potential nesting sites in remote coastal wetlands of central Cuba, using drones in their surveys. Results are expected to contribute to the improvement of management decisions for the species in Cuba.
Characterization of the community of aquatic birds associated with the wetland of the San Miguel de Parada Fauna Refuge
Yanelis Sánchez, Empresa Flora y Fauna, Santiago de Cuba
Cuban wetlands are important stopover and wintering areas for numerous species of migratory waterbirds. However, they are increasingly being polluted by industrial discharge of solid and liquid waste, like the case of San Miguel de Parada Wildlife Refuge in the province of Santiago, Cuba. Yanelis will be conducting monthly surveys in this wetland throughout the year to determine the composition and structure of the waterfowl community. Moreover, she intends to identify and monitor nesting colonies from May to June, describe their habitat characteristics, and assess the breeding success for different species. As part of the project, she also wants to promote the recovery and conservation of the Santiago de Cuba Bay by implementing effective management actions and educational campaigns.
Enhancing conservation initiatives for Red-billed Tropicbirds in Boven National Park, St. Eustatius
Jethro van’t Hul, St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA)
The Red-Billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus), an iconic seabird species with striking red bills and long tail streamers, faces imminent threats to its population on the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. Previous research estimated only 300-500 breeding pairs. Through this study, Jethro aims to reassess the population on Pilot Hill, and compare counts with a second study site on the cliffside area of Boven National Park where no data has been collected previously. Monthly surveys will be conducted in both locations, and video recordings will be taken to estimate the number of potential nesting pairs in a section of the Boven cliffs. His goal is to obtain a more accurate population estimate of nesting pairs to support further conservation efforts in Boven National Park.
Are you working on, or planning a research or conservation project with Caribbean birds?
Jennifer Mortensen, from the University of Arkansas, retrieving camera trap data with a team of conservationists from the Saint Lucia Forestry Department, including Stephen Lesmond, Therence Eugene, Jeannette Victor, and Jonathan Cornibert (from right to left).
Our next call for proposals will be advertised in the fall of 2024. Members of BirdsCaribbean conducting research and conservation work are eligible to apply. Stay informed and don’t miss our announcements by subscribing to our monthly newsletter,joining our Listserv, and following us on social media (@BirdsCaribbean on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Linked In).
BirdsCaribbean thanks our generous donors for supporting these awards, and encourages others to donate to these programs, as well as to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our vital grants programs can continue indefinitely. You can help us to continue supporting these invaluable projects by making a donation here.
If you prefer to donate via check, please make this out to “BirdsCaribbean” and in the memo section, note the fund you are donating to. If you have questions, or would like to make other arrangements for donating, feel free to contact Jennifer Wheeler, BirdsCaribbean Financial Officer (jennifer.wheeler@birdscaribbean.org). Checks can be mailed to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760-2076
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 Plover survey. This species is listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN with an estimated global breeding population of just 8,400 birds. The search was enhanced by beautiful graphics and merchandise by Josmar Esteban Marquez. Sightings were tracked live and plotted on a map. During the survey, these attractive but vulnerable birds were spotted in The Bahamas (a great success!), the British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Word of our search spread far and wide and we also received sightings from the Caribbean coast of Mexico! Please continue to keep a sharp eye open for these small, round birds, which are often seen in small flocks on sand flats and might also be found in mangroves, mudflats, and other shoreline areas.
A Piping Plover in winter plumage with an all-black bill.
A Piping Plover chick. Piping Plovers breed in restricted areas of North America.
A small flock of Piping Plovers in winter plumage. (Photo by Walker Golden)
Just how do you spot those easily camouflaged, tiny plovers? Graphics from Josmar Esteban Marquez shared all the tips!
click to download as a pdf
During CWC 2023, an abundance of waterbirds were spotted across the region by diligent birders, young and old, as they kept their eyes peeled for the elusive Plover! Some of the wonderful waterbirds seen on our 2023 census included a white-morph Great Blue Heron on Bonaire (a rare sight outside Florida and Cuba); a diverse gathering of shorebirds on Cuba (including Dunlins, Sanderlings, Short-billed Dowitchers, Least and Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated and Wilson’s Plovers and many others); and and some ducks enjoying some winter sun on Jamaica (including Green-winged Teals, Ring-necked Ducks, and Lesser Scaups).
Survey team in Cuba searching for Piping Plovers during CWC2023. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)
Looking for landbirds…
After the volcanic eruption of April, 2021, St. Vincent’s landbirds, especially two vulnerable endemic species, the threatened St. Vincent Parrot, and endangered Whistling Warbler, faced new dangers—both in the short and long term. We thought it fitting to continue building the capacity of Caribbean conservationists to identify and monitor landbirds using standardized survey protocols.
Thanks to funding from theCritical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and BirdsCaribbean members, partners and donors, we organized a Landbird Monitoring Workshop on St. Vincent with 24 participants, including from neighboring islands(Grenada, St. Lucia, and Montserrat).
Participants and facilitators of the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Workshop at Montreal Gardens, St Vincent.
Demonica and Bob Davies digging the hole for the base of the tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Bob and Maya constructing the base frame. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Maya and Todd checking cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Grand Bahama Motus Installation team: Lisa Sorenson, Todd Alleger, Bradley Pinder, Cesar Montero, Maya Wilson, Demonica Brown and, David Cooper. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Demonica Brown and Maya Wilson assemble the Motus antenna. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Cesar and Todd attaching the antenna to the Motus tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
We were out and about again! Celebrating our beautiful endemics
Did you know we now have 180 endemic birds in the Caribbean region? And we celebrated these one-of-a-kind birds during our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) from April 22 to May 22, 2023—with a special emphasis on water conservation. What would our birds (and we humans) do without water? With the increased heat (it was a very hot summer) we may have seen our birds drinking at bird baths—they get thirsty like we do! With the climate change crisis pressing on us, this was a very important theme to emphasize, and our partners across the region took it on enthusiastically.
A Conservation Opportunity member sensitises participants about the threats posed by marine pollution. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
A young girl plays a bird game during the CEBF festivities as a member of the Luis-Munos Marin Foundation looks on. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves Rodriguez)
Jamaican Mango, perched. (Photo by Clive Daelman)
Felix Raul Figueroa, photographer and member of Grupo Ecología de Aves, looks on as students from Ciénaga de Zapata color the Cuban Parrot. (Photo by Grupo de Ecología de Aves)
Students help plant native trees for birds and other wildlife at the National Botanical Garden.
Children and ARC Conservation members wear their hand crafted masks.
Yaritza Bobonis with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Information about the festival and endemic birds of Cuba was shared via radio interviews.
Ashy-faced Owl, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Jay McGowan- Macaulay Library-ML162362421)
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
In 2023, the CEBF once again hosted in-person events and the response was tremendous—over 10,000 persons participated from The Bahamas down to Trinidad and Tobago! Our citizen scientists of all ages were out in numbers, with mangrove explorations, BirdSleuth Caribbean’s learning activities, school visits, habitat cleanups, art workshops, a birding for kids excursion, and even a floating classroom field trip!
On the Caribbean Birding Trail in Turks and Caicos
As the year-end drew closer, discovery, learning, and empowerment were words that came to mind during the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Interpretive Guide Training Workshop in Turks and Caicos Islands, which took place from October 23 to 27, 2023. Twenty-four participants were trained in the Islands’ beautifully unique environment during an intensive five-day workshop. The trail now includes 138 birding sites and ten hotels and eco-lodges in 24 countries—all combining amazing birding experiences with learning and information on ecosystems, cultural and natural heritage, and more.
Beny leads the group along the Bird Rock Point Trail. Several field trips throughout the week allowed participants to get acquainted with TCI’s best birding sites! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Tangles of red mangrove prop roots at Wheeland Pond. This extensive wetland is a haven for birdlife and a true shorebirder’s delight!
Flamingo Pond is a must-visit spot for American Flamingo lovers! Depending on the time of the year, flocks at this wetland on North Caicos can number in the thousands!
Class is in session! 24 participants from a range of backgrounds formed our CBT TCI cohort.
Ecotour guide and participant Geneile Robinson thumbs through her Birds of the West Indies field guide while distinguishing between waterbirds!
Lisa gives the class one of the toughest pop quizzes of all! How many different species of shorebirds are in the picture?
Participant and Biology teacher Amanda Brittain consults her Seabirds of the Caribbean card for gull ID support.
Rick’s demonstration of an interpretive talk where he played the role of a hammock salesman was so transportive that the class was convinced that he really was trying to hawk them hammocks for a while!
This was our seventh CBT training. We are deeply thankful to our Turks and Caicos sponsors—the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, and Vortex Optics.
Bonding over Bird Banding! Workshop #2 in the Dominican Republic
Bird banding is an essential component of birding science worldwide. It is a complex and technical issue that requires longer training sessions. We returned to the Dominican Republic again in March of last year (the location of this year’s International Conference), continuing our work of nurturing a committed community of trained banders. The response from our highly intelligent group of trainees was enthusiastic.
Participants learned to set up and close mist nets during the workshop. (Photo by Josh Covill)
Participants at the banding workshop, earlier this year, in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Joshua Covill)
Daniela Ventura del Puerto (Cuba) provides instruction on bird molt to workshop participants Giselle Raganoonan (Trinidad) and Elvin Manual Vargas Estevez (Dominican Republic).
Caribbean bird banders have gone abroad!
We sent some of our bird banders off to the United States and Brazil for immersive banding experiences. The interns reported back to us (Grenadian Zoya Buckmire at Klamath Bird Observatory in Oregon, Puerto Rican Dayamiris Candelario at Willistown Conservation Trust in Pennsylvania) on their exploration of new landscapes, new ecosystems—and, of course, new birds! We would like to thank all our partner organizations and generous donors who supported these internships. Once again, we were happy to add new dimensions to our young trainees’ experiences, so they may return to their countries to establish new programs and projects. Empowerment is key!
Seabirds under pressure
Despite a range of challenges, our dynamic Seabird Working Group has been addressing the critical state of Caribbean seabirds for some time now. The first-ever Caribbean-wide Seabird Census is ongoing, for 2023 and 2024. Over 300,000 pairs of breeding seabirds have already been counted at over 58 sites! Caribbean seabirds, like those in other areas of the world, are threatened by human activities—including pollution (especially plastics), climate change, invasive species, and unsustainable fishing practices. The Census continues! Please contribute your thoughts and findings, watch the webinar updates, and follow the admirable work of our Seabird Working Group this year!
Map 1: Countries participating in the Caribbean Seabird Census. Note that for large countries, the whole country is colored even though only a few localized sites may be censused.
Juliana Coffey identifying seabirds with seabird patrol volunteers, Union Island. (Alison DeGraff Ollivierre)
Grenadines Guardians seabird survey. (Photo by Juliana Coffey)
Magnificent Frigatebird nesting colony. (Photo: Jeff Gerbracht)
Masked Booby adult and chick. (Photo by Ann Sutton)
More direct funding for research and conservation work!
From combating the illegal bird trade in Cuba, to surveys of our most endangered endemic Caribbean hawk in Haiti, thanks to our grant awards, 10 innovative new projects are helping us to protect and learn more about the region’s understudied birds and habitats! Stay tuned for our upcoming blogs sharing exciting project results and accomplishments.
The 2023 cohort of grantees under our three named awards, the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, and the new James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.
Have we forgotten something? Oh, yes…
Last but by no means least, Global Big Day 2023 was another huge success, with increased numbers of Caribbean birders participating. Our region saw more birds (a total of 515 species) and more humans (511 posting on eBird) than on any other Global Big Day. Once again, competition among our teams was heated—and once again, our Executive Director Lisa Sorenson’s multinational “Flying Pintails” dominated! Hmmm…
NOTE: Please remember to record ALL your bird sightings, whether in your backyard or out on a birding excursion, on eBird Caribbeanvia their website or phone app. Your bird notes make a difference in helping scientists identify the “what, when, how many, and where” of our region’s birds!
Networking is key…
As you can see, building and strengthening networks across the region has always been a significant part of our work, and it was the same in 2023. Our network of scientists (including citizen scientists), students, educators, non-governmental and community organizations, as well as nature-friendly companies and government entities, continues to grow.
Talking birds: Justin Saunders lends a listening ear to a young birder. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Daniela and Elvin take a closer look at a bird’s wing while another participant John Holas looks on. (Photo by Josh Covill)
Yvan Satge discusses birds at sea with fishermen. (Photo by Jacob Gonzalez-Solis)
María Paulino hosts a group discussion with students at the National Botanical Garden.
Levardo, Estefania, and Junel discuss the finer points of binocular adjustment.
In addition to the Caribbean Bird Banding Network, the Caribbean Motus Collaboration, and the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Network, we are also building a vibrant group of trained interpretive guides through the Caribbean Birding Trail. This person-to-person aspect of our work is important for knowledge-sharing, interaction, and “comparing notes” with each other. A great deal of teamwork goes into all these endeavors, as you can see from our reports. All of this creates a positive and nurturing environment. We have great faith in our newly-trained Caribbean citizens, who are both enthusiastic and action-oriented. They want to see progress and improvements for our wonderful birds and their habitats.
We look forward to keeping in touch with you all! Here’s to 2024!
A huge thank you to all of our members, partners, and donors. This work would not be possible without your dedication, passion, hard work, and financial support.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is critical to informing conservation work. In this annual blog feature, JCO’s staff is proud to show off the amazing research from scientific teams around the Caribbean. Volume 36 demonstrates the wide range of research conducted by our authors; from population and habitat use studies, to documentations of behavior, to methods-centered papers on bird monitoring. About ten articles focus on land birds, while three concentrate on waterbirds.
The JCO is immensely grateful for its dedicated team of editors, reviewers, copyeditors, translators, proofreaders, and production specialists that have worked together so well again this past year to produce high-quality publications. We also thank the 57 authors behind the 16 Research Articles and Notes for their trust in the JCO to publish their open-source work in the best form. The JCO and our non-profit publisher, BirdsCaribbean, continue to emphasize support for early-career researchers, trilingual content, open access, and a comprehensive archive going back to the very first volume from 1988.
Map depicting research locations of studies published in Volume 36.
A few glimpses behind the scenes of JCO’s operations in 2023:
JCO has welcomed Dr. Susana Aguilar, our Birds of the World (BOW) Coordinator for Cuba. Susana has an intimate knowledge of Cuban ornithology and we are very happy that we could recruit her to facilitate the revision of BOW accounts from the largest Caribbean island. Our Production Assistant and Designer since 2019, Diane Tessaglia-Hymes is pursuing another professional opportunity. She has tremendously helped with typesetting and, being an Adobe InDesign wizard, has optimized several “under the hood” features. Our Associate Editor team expanded with Yvan Satgé of Clemson University and Dr. Kathryn Peiman, from Ontario, Canada joining the team. Sadly, we learned that one of our Associate Editors, Dr. Virginia Sanz D’Angelo (Centro de Ecología, IVIC, Caracas, Venezuela) has passed away. Her dedication to JCO leaves a big gap.
It took a little longer than hoped, but our (all part-time!) staff finally pulled together a voluminous (94 pages) Special Issue with Caribbean-themed conference contributions from the AOS-BC conference in San Juan in 2022. Because it sometimes takes authors a while to fully publish research, these conference presentations and poster abstracts provide a more timely glimpse into what’s happening in Caribbean bird research and conservation.
We hope to see many of our readers, authors, editors, and team members in July at the BirdsCaribbean 2024 Conference in the Dominican Republic!
— Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., JCO Editor-in-Chief,
— Stefan Gleissberg, JCO Managing Editor
— Zoya Buckmire, JCO Lead Copyeditor
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO. Consider being a sustainer with a monthly contribution of $5 or more!
Like humans, birds are susceptible to parasitic infections, including avian malaria, and similarly, variations in hemoglobin structure may influence their susceptibility to these infections. Using one of the most widespread West Indian species, the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola), Humphries and Ricklefs aimed to relate variation in hemoglobin structure and avian malaria infection across several islands. In this paper, they present the results of this fascinating study, with suggestions for appropriate markers for further biogeographic analyses.
In the midst of the central Bahamas archipelago lies the tiny Conception Island National Park. This multi-island park is designated as an Important Bird Area, but until now, its bird diversity was poorly documented. In this paper, Reynolds and Buckner present the first avifaunal list for this park in over a century, with a whopping 68 species, 3 of which are Bahamian endemics.
As human influence over the environment increases, so too does the distribution of artificial materials in natural spaces. More and more birds are encountering human debris in their habitat and interacting with these materials in various ways—whether mistaking them for food or becoming entangled in them. In this research note, Madden and Danielson-Owczynsky document landbirds in St. Eustatius using human debris in an interesting but dangerous way, a fascinating discovery that hints at the pervasiveness of our impact on the world around us.
Anderson Jean, Maxon Fildor, Marta Curti, Eladio Fernandez, Christine D. Hayes, and Thomas I. Hayes
Few things are more exciting than the rediscovery of a once-extirpated species, and the case of the Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is no exception. This Hispaniolan endemic was once well-distributed across the island, but had not been recorded in Haiti since 1962. A chance encounter in 2019 prompted hope and follow-up studies in subsequent years as the authors sought to confirm sightings of the species. In this research note, Jean et al. document their rediscovery of this unique hawk in Haiti.
Joshua LaPergola, C. Justin Proctor, Hodali Almonte, and Kate J. Wallace
Birds eat bugs—or at least, that is how it’s supposed to go. The roles are sometimes reversed in the natural world, with one noteworthy example being parasitism. Philornis sp. larvae are a well-known parasite for birds, but we are still figuring out which species are affected by these parasites. In this paper, LaPergola et al. document the first record of Philornis sp. larvae parasitizing a swift, in this case an Antillean Palm-Swift (Tachornis phoenicobia) in the Dominican Republic. This expands our understanding of parasitism by this genus and adds to the ever-growing list of threats to Caribbean birds, especially aerial insectivores like swifts.
Nicholas Bergen, Christopher C. De Ruyck, and Nicola Koper
Citizen science provides a seemingly obvious solution to the various logistical and resource challenges of data collection in the Caribbean, but it is not without its own challenges. How does observer experience affect detectability of birds in the field? And do observers perform differently depending on who they are paired with? Bergen et al. conducted an experiment in Grenada to answer these questions and more, involving 34 different observers in over 400 surveys across the island. In this paper, the authors present the results of their study, along with several practical recommendations for the design and implementation of citizen science-based monitoring programs in the region.
Louise M. Soanes, Devon Carter, Laurel B. Symes, Jennifer C. Daltry, Holger Klinck, Clarissa Lloyd, and Farah Mukhida
If we as scientists had unlimited time and money, then long-term monitoring of bird populations would be a breeze. In the real world, however, monitoring efforts are limited by funding, access, and personnel, especially on remote islands and cays. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is an emerging tool with the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of monitoring efforts, and a recent pilot project in Anguilla aimed to test the utility of this tool in the Caribbean context. In this paper, Soanes et al. describe the results of their pilot, with recommendations for the best use of PAM throughout the region.
Samantha J. Hagler, Kara Abbott, Christine D. Hayes, Thomas I. Hayes, and André A. Dhondt
The Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is a charismatic species that has received lots of conservation attention in recent years, but there still remain major gaps in knowledge about this species’ life history and behavior, especially pre-breeding. In this research article, Hagler et al. present their results from tracking 3 established breeding pairs of Ridgway’s Hawks in the Dominican Republic, adding critical information to the body of knowledge about this endangered and endemic species.
Yaroddys Rodríguez Castaneda y Nils Navarro Pacheco
The wild bird trade is a growing threat to Caribbean birds, with species targeted for their bright plumages and/or beautiful songs. This industry is especially prevalent in Cuba, with over 3,000 birds trapped in one month (October 2021). Dozens of species are trapped and sold, including species that may not have been previously recorded for the island. In this Spanish-language paper, Rodríguez Castaneda and Navarro Pacheco document a new species for Cuba, discovered through the ongoing bird trade, suggesting that Cuba’s true avian diversity may be even higher than estimated.
El tráfico de aves silvestres es una amenaza creciente a las aves del Caribe, con las aves elegidas para sus plumajes brillantes y/o sus bonitos cantos. Esta industria es especialmente frecuente en Cuba, con más que 3000 aves capturadas en un mes (octubre 2021). Docenas de especies son capturadas y vendidas, incluyendo unas especies que quizás no eran reportadas para la isla. En este artículo español, Rodríguez Castaneda y Navarro Pacheco documentan una especie nueva para Cuba, descubierta por el tráfico continuado de aves, sugiriendo que la verdadera diversidad de aves de Cuba puede ser aún más alta que la estimada anteriormente.
Ramon J.T. Williams, Miyako H. Warrington, and Nicola Koper
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are subject to unique ecological pressures, and the bird populations on these islands are no different. How are birds using and responding to natural and anthropogenic habitats on these islands? In what ways does this use differ from the well-studied continental regions? And importantly, how does this inform conservation and management measures here, in the Caribbean? In this paper, Williams et al. explore all these questions and more using resident landbird species in Grenada.
Kara L. Lefevre, Elizabeth Forys, Adam DiNuovo, and Adam D. Smith
Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) are a charismatic—and admittedly odd-looking—colonial seabird distributed throughout the coastal Americas. Populations in Florida (R. niger niger) are under threat, and to inform conservation measures, Lefevre et al. set out to track the dispersal and movements of skimmer chicks from breeding colonies in Florida. In this paper, the authors describe their use of various tracking methods, some more successful than others, and present important recommendations on how to design future studies.
Parrots and parakeets (Psittaciformes) are some of the most widely introduced species in the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico is no exception. There, the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus) was introduced in the late 1960s and has since become “the most successful invasive psittacine species on the island”. However, until now, not much was known about their life history or population status in Puerto Rico. In this article, Falcón and Tremblay report on the status of two breeding populations with estimates of their growth rates, as well as other critical information including the species’ diet and nesting habits on the island.
Paige A. Byerly, Susan Zaluski, Daniel Nellis, Judy Pierce, and Paul L. Leberg
Effective management of bird populations requires quality data, but quality data is often difficult to come by. Where studies do exist, methods may vary greatly based on differing research questions, objectives, and priorities, but as Byerly et al. demonstrate here, it is not impossible to form a cohesive picture from various disparate surveys. Comparing data from surveys in the early 2000s with their own in 2016-2018, the authors produce up-to-date trends on the populations of 7 seabirds in the Virgin Islands—and none of them are good. In this paper, Byerly et al. present these timely population status updates, a call for action, and a great example of how to make the best of the limited data we have in the Caribbean to conserve and manage our birds.
Nils Navarro Pacheco, Roberto Jovel Lara, Wisdenilde Navarro Méndez, Juan Carlos Lobaina Montero, Noel Coutín Lobaina, and Carlos Hernández
The Cuban subspecies of the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus fringilloides) is relatively understudied, with no documented nesting records for Cuba—until now. In this Spanish-language article, Navarro Pacheco et al. present the first record of a nest found in Guantanamo, Cuba, with detailed descriptions of the nest, eggs, breeding behavior, and other aspects of the reproductive biology of this endemic subspecies.
El Gavilancito Cubano (Accipiter striatus fringilloides) es relativamente poco estudiado, con ningunos registros de nidificación documentados para Cuba—hasta ahora. En este artículo español, Navarro Pacheco y otros presentan el primer registro de un nido encontrado en Guantánamo, Cuba, con descripciones detalladas del nido, los huevos, el comportamiento de reproducción, y otros aspectos de la biología reproductiva de esta subespecie endémica.
Avery Young, David Aborn, Steven C. Latta, and Jennifer Nagel Boyd
The way wildlife interacts with food systems is an increasingly important topic as food production expands and encroaches upon habitat. In the Dominican Republic, a major driver of habitat loss is the conversion of forests to avocado farms to meet demand. How does habitat differ between the natural forests and these farm systems? How are birds responding to these differences? And does avian response vary depending on whether the birds are endemic, resident, or migratory? In this research article, Young et al. answer these questions and more, and offer recommendations to balance habitat preservation with our food production needs.
Malo Braquier, Anthony Levesque, Jérémy Delolme, and Charlotte Francesiaz
How long do birds live in the wild? Lifespan of course differs by family and species, and even within species as birds face varying threats within their habitats, migration routes, and from the humans they encounter. Shorebirds like plovers can live into their teens, and for the Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia), the previous longevity record was 10 years. In this research note, Braquier et al. report a new longevity record for this species from their resightings of a previously banded Wilson’s Plover in Guadeloupe.
The annual compilation of the most important articles that appeared elsewhere, annotated by Steve Latta.
Article by
Zoya Buckmire – Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology;
Stefan Gleissberg – Managing Editor JCO
TheJournal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO.
BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Just Published in JCO”. Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at various research on the Critically Endangered and endemic Ridgway’s Hawk.
The Ridgway’s Hawk is one of the most critically endangered raptors in the world with fewer than 400 individuals remaining. It is endemic to Hispaniola. (Photo by Dax Román)
Few things are more exciting than the rediscovery of a once-extirpated species, and the case of the Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is no exception! This Critically Endangered raptor is endemic to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), but despite its historically widespread distribution, it had not been spotted in Haiti since 1962. A chance encounter on one of Haiti’s satellite islands prompted hope and a follow-up study as Anderson Jean and colleagues sought to confirm their suspected sighting of the species. Thus began an epic scavenger hunt to rediscover this unique hawk on the Haitian side of Hispaniola! The authors shared a behind-the-scenes look at their discovery and their ongoing work to conserve the Ridgway’s Hawk.
Map showing current known Ridgway’s Hawk distribution on Hispaniola. (Map by Leah Dunn of The Peregrine Fund)
The first sighting in 2019 was entirely by chance—or rather, by fate. Anderson Jean andMaxon Fildorwere conducting a rapid ornithological assessment of Les Cayemites, two islands off the southwestern coast of Haiti, as part of a baseline study for the recently declared Baradères-Cayemites protected area. They were compiling information on the terrestrial vertebrates present to inform the management plan for the region. It was then that they spotted two raptors in flight—rushing to document what they could, they speedily took pictures, videos, and audio recordings to aid in identification. One of those two birds was later identified as a juvenile Ridgway’s Hawk, the first sighting of the species in Haiti in over 50 years, and the first sighting for Les Cayemites in over a century.
Juvenile Ridgway’s Hawk spotted by Anderson Jean and colleagues on Petite Cayemite. (Photo by Anderson Jean)
Adult female Ridgway’s Hawk with a green vine snake on Petite Cayemite. (Photo by Thomas Hayes)
With this confirmation, the authors returned the following year with a purpose, partnering with The Peregrine Fund to conduct systematic surveys on the Baradères Peninsula and both Petite and Grande Cayemite. Between 2020 and 2021, the group detected as many as 19 Ridgway’s Hawks in the region—a veritable population! And not only is a population present, it also has the potential to persist as the birds are breeding.
The authors describe their most memorable moment as the instance, in 2021, when they found two nests on Grande Cayemite for the first time. Whilst the nest was located high in a tree on a weak branch too high and risky to climb, the evidence of breeding was enough. On the smaller cay, Petite Cayemite, they have only observed one breeding pair to date, but that pair has nested every single year since they were spotted in 2019. Another exciting development is that the authors banded their first Ridgway’s Hawk chick in 2023, which will surely provide more insights to this ongoing research.
Ridgway’s Hawk nest in a gumbo limbo tree with a juvenile hawk perched above. (Photo by Anderson Jean)
Ultimately, Jean and colleagues hope that their research will contribute to the body of knowledge on this charismatic species, and help conservationists understand the causes of population decline and to increase the population size in Les Cayemites. They are continuing their search in nearby areas like Pestel, Grand Boukan, and Gonâve Island. Although White et al. did not find any sign of the species in their 2012 raptor survey of Gonave Island, it is possible that Ridgway’s Hawk have recolonized the island in the decade that has since passed. Anderson Jean and his colleagues hope to eventually witness the reintroduction of the species throughout its historical range.
La Gonâve Island, Haiti. (Photo by Justin White)
Amidst this exciting rediscovery in Haiti, on the other side of the island of Hispaniola, another fascinating investigation was underway! Samantha Hagler and colleagues studied the breeding behavior of the species—looking particularly at pre-breeding behavior—observing and recording the birds to gain insights into how they form and strengthen pair bonds. This research supports ongoing conservation efforts to restore the Ridgway’s Hawk population, including a past project by The Peregrine Fund that translocated hawks to create a new population in Punta Cana. Translocating the hawks was a challenge within itself, with initial successes limited by high mortality rates due to power poles near the sites. Dwyer et al. document the creative solutions that had to be used to minimize hawk mortality, leading to eventual success of the program.
Ridgway’s Hawks hatched in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic thanks to The Peregrine Fund’s Assisted Dispersal Program. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Ridgway’s Hawk parent feeding its chick in the nest. (Photo by Dax Román)
At the newly established population in Punta Cana, Hagler et al. tracked three established breeding pairs to compare them (and their behaviors) to the source population in the Los Haitises National Park. Interestingly, pre-breeding behaviors actually differed between the two groups. This could be a function of the populations’ size, density, or different levels of development—and raises even more questions that will be critical to better understanding and conserving the species.
Between these two populations in the Dominican Republic and the newly found population in southwestern Haiti, the future of the Ridgway’s Hawk looks brighter than in previous years. Thanks to the award of a BirdsCaribbean Betty Petersen Conservation Fund grant, Anderson Jean is continuing his urgent work to map and protect Ridgway’s Hawk populations in Haiti. His surveys will be further extended to the larger island of Grand Cayemite. To additionally address anthropogenic threats, the team will initiate an educational campaign directed at local communities, especially schoolchildren and farmers. Outreach materials will be distributed in the communities and a special curriculum will be presented in local schools.
We look forward to further research and reports on this important endangered and endemic raptor, as it provides hope for the conservation of other raptors throughout the Caribbean.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. All of the publications are free and open-access.
MORE FEATURED ARTICLES FROM “JUST PUBLISHED IN THE JCO”
The Purple-throated Carib is endemic to a handful of islands in the Lesser Antilles. (Photo by Barbara and Frank Lilievre)
Being one of only two Eulampis species (a genus endemic to the Caribbean), the Purple-throated Carib adds endemic sparkle to the rainforest and cloud forest habitats of the Lesser Antilles. This large (it’s the largest hummingbird in the Caribbean!), brilliantly plumaged hummingbird is also closely associated with two species of native heliconia.
The Purple-throated Carib will visit feeders and cultivated landscape plants for a sweet drink of nectar, making it a familiar and quite spectacular sight for many in the Lesser Antilles. However, the Carib’s Birds of the World (BOW) account, which was previously just a short article last revised in 2018, provided only basic information which did not reflect the present state of scholarship and knowledge of the species.
Enter Dr. Ethan Temeles
A biology professor at Amherst College (MA, USA), Dr. Temeles has spent 8 field seasons in St. Lucia, and 17 field seasons in Dominica researching the Purple-throated Carib, making him the perfect candidate to revise and update its species account for Birds of the World. He connected with BirdsCaribbean staff at the American Ornithological Society/BirdsCaribbean conference held in Puerto Rico in 2022, and learned of the opportunity to contribute as an author for Birds of the World.
Purple-throated Carib drinking nectar from a banana flower in Guadeloupe. (Photo by Brian Sullivan ML 89366011)
Professor Temeles measures the length of a hummingbird’s beak using a caliper. (Photo by Amherst College)
Female Purple-throated Carib. (Photo by Tadas Jucys)
Dr Temeles eagerly took on the work of updating the species account with the latest science—including much of his own original research from 20 years of field work! He used the opportunity of lighter academic duties in the summer to synthesize his own and others’ work on the species.
Plumage Particulars, Population Data…and Partitioning of Flower Resources!
Thanks to the passionate work of Dr Temeles and his collaborators, the account has been greatly enriched in this 2024 update. It now includes detailed information about plumages, diet, and intriguingly, the sexual partitioning of flower resources. Dr Temeles also discusses the impact of Hurricane Maria (a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated 17 Caribbean islands in 2017) and other conservation concerns for the species. If you are from the Caribbean, learn how you can access all the scholarly resources on Birds of the World for FREE here.
The Birds of the World species account for the Purple-throated Carib has been significantly expanded in this update.
Editors at Birds of the World worked with Dr. Temeles and Macaulay Library resources to add a wide variety of photographs to the account—including many that will help with field identification. Even at a sizable five inches long, without perfect lighting the species often appears completely black except for its dazzling emerald green wings. Photographs of the Carib’s microhabitats, as well as videos and photographs showing its foraging behavior, are now also newly linked to the species account, demonstrating the powerful nature of integrating the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s online resources.
Dr. Temeles is still teaching biology and environmental studies classes at Amherst, and took a break from grading Intro Biology exams to finalize the publication. He enthused, ”I’m delighted to share my 20+ years of field work on this species with readers of Birds of the World, and hope that others will be inspired to study and answer some of the questions for future research presented in this account of a truly spectacular hummingbird.”
Of his experience as an author he added, “Working with the Birds of the World and BirdsCaribbean staff was great and their editorial expertise was amazing.”
Visit this page to access our free Purple-throated Carib coloring page and other educational activities.
Do you work with a Caribbean bird species, or are you interested in contributing to a Caribbean species account? We are always on the lookout for authors! Find out more or contact Caroline Pott (carolinepott@birdscaribbean.org) for more information regarding a species of interest.
The BirdsCaribbean-Cornell Lab of Ornithology partnership that produced this updated account also provides Birds of the World access for FREE to Caribbean-based IP addresses!
Holly Garrod, BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Bird Banding Program Coordinator
One of the issues that the birding community has been working on for the last several years is how we can be more welcoming and inclusive of all birders—beginner birders and future potential birders—to join us and share the joy of birding. It’s an issue to which passionate birders, Hannah Buschert, and her husband Erik, have given a great deal of thought, and which led to the creation of Women Birders (Happy Hour) podcast.
Their ‘happy hour’ podcast is dedicated to broadcasting the lived experiences of women, from diverse backgrounds, who love birds. And of course, it’s not happy hour without cocktails! For each episode, Hannah delights us with a unique, bird-inspired alcoholic concoction based on a species mentioned in the interview!
BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Bird Banding Coordinator, and everyone’s favorite certified bird banding trainer, Holly Garrod, chats with Hannah about everything from her early birding days, advice for budding conservationists, exploring new birding locations, connecting to people through birds and fighting female stereotypes in conservation in this insightful episode! Holly has a B.Sc. in Applied Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology with a minor in Business from Humboldt State University and an M.Sc. in Biology from Villanova. Her master’s research focused on the two todies of Hispaniola, which is how Holly got her start in the Caribbean.
The Narrow-billed Tody, showing its bright pink sides. (Photo by Alberto Rojas)
Holly Garrod bands a Broad-billed Tody in the Dominican Republic for her M.Sc. thesis research.
The Broad-billed Tody (locally known as the Barrancoli for its habit of nesting in burrows) earned its name by having the broadest bill of all 5 tody species. (Photo by Dax Roman E.)
After her studies, Holly spent one year running the Jama Coaque Bird Observatory in Ecuador, and two and a half years running the Costa Rica Bird Observatories banding program. Holly was certified as a North American Banding Council (NABC) trainer in 2011 following her training at Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory. Since then, Holly has worked on banding projects throughout the US and Latin America. She has led multiple workshops throughout Latin America and helped with NABC certification sessions in both English and Spanish. As Caribbean Bird Banding Coordinator, Holly is working with our Caribbean partners to create a unified bird banding program for the region called the Caribbean Bird Banding Network.
Holly Garrod bands a Cuban Pygmy-Owl. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)
Coming together to learn. Holly teaches the group about molt. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
At the banding table, Daniela Ventura studies banding data sheets with Juan Carlos Fernández and Alcides Morales-Pérez. In the background, Holly holds a bird bag carrying the next-to-be-processed bird.
Grab yourself a drink (might we suggest Hannah’s Hybrid Tody cocktail below?), kick back, and settle into happy hour with Hannah and Holly! It’s an inspiring podchat about the mentors and experiences that helped shape her career in bird conservation, documenting the Hybrid Tody in the Dominican Republic, communicating science to motivate conservation action, and issues of blondeness in the birding community.
Enjoy!
Listen
Choose your preferred podcast platform to listen to Holly’s interview by clicking this Buzzsprout link.
Delight your taste buds with this Hybrid Tody (not toddy!) cocktail
Ingredients
1 ½ oz Brugal Anejo
4 fresh raspberries
4 fresh strawberries
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Ice
Directions
1. Fill cocktail shaker with ice 2. Add rum, raspberries and strawberries 3. Pour in lime juice and simple syrup 4. Shake shake shake 5. Strain into glass
Demonica Brown and Maya Wilson assembling the Motus antenna. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Our Motus stations are multiplying! Twostations were recently installed in The Bahamas, bringing the total to six stations in just over a year—starting with two in Puerto Rico, followed by one each in Jamaica and Barbados. You may ask, “Remind us what Motus is?” The Motus Wildlife Tracking System, often abbreviated to “Motus” from the Latin word for movement, is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Put simply, it tracks the movements of small animals and birds in flight.
The Caribbean Motus Collaboration (CMC) aims to fill the geographical gap in the network in the Caribbean. As more stations are added, we will be able to learn more about the movements of migratory birds throughout the islands. It is exciting work! We look forward to a future filled with Motus stations to help us learn more about how to preserve these remarkable species on their journeys. Here, Demonica Brown, Science Officer at The Bahamas National Trust, shares her story of how the first two Bahamian stations were installed, and the impact they will have.
Wildlife backpackers on the move
Flying animals such as birds, bats, and insects are safely captured by trained professionals and “tagged” with tiny, lightweight transmitters that look like miniature backpacks. When these animals fly within the range of receiver stations, detection data is transmitted and added to the database. Motus is a powerful tool that allows researchers to gain a greater understanding of how these species, especially birds, move around.
Kirtland’s Warbler fitted with a lightweight nano-tag. This tiny transmitter lets researchers track the movements of tagged birds, bats, and even large insects with precision across thousands of miles. (Photo by Scott Weidensaul)
The various types of Motus tags that can be attached to animals to track their movement. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The islands of The Bahamas are popular wintering grounds for many migratory bird species. Similarly to tourists that travel to the Caribbean to escape the cold in their home countries, winter migrants from North America make their way down the eastern coast of the US to our beautiful islands, where many of them remain throughout their non-breeding season (fall through early spring). For some migrants, our islands serve as a stop-over location along their migratory pathway as they make their way further south. Over 300 species have been recorded in The Bahamas, with migratory species accounting for more than half of them.
A male Green-winged Teal ventures across the mud. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
Palm Warblers were named based on a specimen collected on Hispaniola, but this is far from a ‘tropical’ bird year-round. They are one of the northernmost breeding of all warblers (only the Blackpoll Warbler breeds farther north). (Photo by Ryan Schain Macaulay Library- ML223997711)
In winter Willets can be found on beaches and mudflats, where they use their long bills to probe for food. (Photo by Jesse Gordon)
Four stations slated for three Bahamian islands
Through the Caribbean Motus Collaboration, four new Motus stations will be installed across the country. Two stations will be set up on the northernmost island of Grand Bahama (described here). In the coming months, a third station will be installed on Eleuthera in the central Bahamas and finally, a fourth station on Great Inagua in the south! The installation of these stations is a big step towards better understanding how migratory, resident, and endemic species move throughout our islands and the Caribbean at large. I had the opportunity to assist with Motus tower installations on Grand Bahama, a first for myself.
Cesar and Todd attaching the antenna to the Motus tower at Rand Nature Center. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Cesar and Todd attaching the antenna to the Motus tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Since I reside in Nassau (the capital of The Bahamas), located on the island of New Providence, I first needed to get to Grand Bahama. Fortunately, this only required a quick 30-45 minute flight. Upon arrival, I was picked up by Lisa Wildgoose (Rand Nature Center Office Administrator) and headed to drop off my bags at my host home for the next few days. There I met my host Martha Cartwright, a Grand Bahama resident and fellow birder, who graciously welcomed me into her home.
Getting started on Grand Bahama, still feeling Hurricane Dorian’s effects
Lisa and I then made our way to The Rand Nature Center (RNC), one of three national parks on the island. This park protects 100 acres of pine and coppice forest, as well as a freshwater pond, making it a hotspot for birds. There I met with the rest of the Motus installation team, which consisted of Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean Executive Director), Maya Wilson (BirdsCaribbean Landbird Monitoring Program Manager), Todd Alleger (Northeast Motus Collaboration Installation Expert), and Cesar Montero (Caribbean Motus Collaboration Trainee). Also on hand to assist were two BNT Park Wardens, Bradley Pinder and David Claire. Director of Parks, Ellsworth Weir, provided crucial assistance with procuring supplies and getting all of the shipped Motus equipment out of customs—no small feat!
Grand Bahama Motus Installation team: Lisa Sorenson, Todd Alleger, Bradley Pinder, Cesar Montero, Maya Wilson, Demonica Brown and David Cooper. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
After catching up for a bit, we reviewed plans for the remainder of the week. To get started, Maya, Bradley, and I would start the work at Lucayan National Park (LNP) while the remainder of the team worked on getting additional supplies from the hardware store.
The scenery on the drive along the Grand Bahama Highway was somber. In 2019 Hurricane Dorian had ravaged this island for two full days. Winds of 185 mph, storm surge (up to 23 feet) and salt-water inundation drastically damaged pine, coppice, and mangrove habitats on both Grand Bahama and Abaco. These serve as vital habitats for many bird species, and their destruction resulted in the decreased population of many species including endemics such as the Bahama Swallow, Bahama Warbler (potentially extirpated on GB), and Bahama Nuthatch (potentially extinct). Though this is my second time visiting Grand Bahama post-Hurricane Dorian, it is still a sight to take in, with miles and miles of trees snapped in half. However, it was encouraging to see continued signs of regeneration, especially young pine growing, amongst the vast stretch of dead pine stands.
New pine trees and poisonwood growth after the devastation by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
It was hard labor—shovels, buckets, and mixing cement!
After a 25-30 minute drive, we finally arrived at Lucayan National Park (LNP). Established in 1982, this park protects both marine and terrestrial habitats, including one of the world’s longest-charted underwater cave systems. There we were joined by Delores Kellman (BirdsCaribbean Administrative Assistant) and Bob Davies (BNT volunteer), who generously offered to assist. The station was going to be located on the back of the rebuilt LNP Gift Shop, and our first task was to dig the hole for the base of the station. Pickaxes and shovels in hand, the team quickly got to digging.
Taking turns to dig the hole for the base of the tower behind the Lucayan National Park Gift Shop. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Delores Kellman helps Maya to dig the hole for the base. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Demonica and Bob Davies digging the hole for the base of the tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
About a quarter of the way down, we were met with a slight issue—our hole quickly started to fill with groundwater! This resulted in us needing to bail out buckets of water multiple times throughout the morning. After reaching an acceptable depth, the team worked on creating the frame that would hold the concrete when poured. With a few fittings to the hole, leveling, and other necessary adjustments, the frame was finally set and the 5-ft Rohn section (first section of the tower) was added and stabilized.
Water in the hole! The hole for the base of the tower filled with water. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Delores bailing water from the hole. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
We returned to LNP the following morning to continue working on the station. While waiting on the equipment needed to complete the base, the team worked on assembling the antennas for the tower and preparing the cables. Three antennas for each of the 2 standard radio frequencies used by the Motus network were assembled, for a total of six antennas. This process was simple and went by quickly with everyone helping out. As the Motus expert, Todd gave each antenna a final look to ensure that everything was in place! Once complete, we resumed work on the base of the tower. With the 5-ft Rohn base section secured in place, it was time to add cement to set it in place for good. Mixing cement by hand can be a laborious task, but thankfully we had the help of a mixer which made the process easier. Many bags of cement later, we were ready to pour!
Bob and Maya constructing the base frame. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Many bags of cement are needed to build a sturdy base for the Motus tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Pouring cement into the mixer. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
“Many bags of cement later, we were ready to pour.” (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Todd and Cesar ensures the tower is placed at the center of the base. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa and Maya assembling one of the antennae for the tower. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Todd and Cesar check the antenna before it is attached to the tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Base beautifully decorated with flowers and plants. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
While the rest of the team finished preparing the base, Lisa and I worked on collecting leaves and flowers of native plants, which were gently pressed into the top of the wet cement. With the cement successfully poured, and beautifully adorned, all it needed was time to dry. We finished off the remainder of the day at the Rand Nature Centre, where we prepared for the station installation the following day.
Demonica and Lisa with the various plants they collected to adorn the tower base at Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
A birding break…
I started my final day with the team with one of my favorite hobbies: birding! Martha planned a morning tour and led us to a few birding spots on the island, including Dover Sound and Barbery Beach. Perfect weather allowed us the opportunity to record about 27 species in total, including an unexpected lifer sighting for myself (Purple Martin). Overall, the morning was a success! We also were fortunate enough to spot five Bahama Swallows near a cell tower along the Grand Bahama Highway on our way to LNP to pick up supplies. Eventually, it was time to get back to work and continue work on the RNC station.
The group pauses to take a selfie while birdwatching at Barbery Beach, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Martha Cartwright and Cesar Montero searching for Wilson’s Plovers at Barbery Beach, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Martha, Cesar, Demonica, Maya and Todd birding at Barbery Beach, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Bahama Swallow swoops low to the ground. (Photo by Brendan Fogarty)
…Then, back to work!
At RNC, I assisted with preparing the remaining antennas and cables for the station. Once assembled, colored coordinated electrical tape was added to antennas of the same frequencies and then down the cables for ease of reference when installing them to the mast and connecting to the receiver. Finally, it was time to erect the Rohn tower onto the base plate that was secured onto the existing concrete near the main entrance of the building. Once set in place and secured with bolts, it was then bracketed to the building for extra security. The next steps would then be to attach the antennas and coaxial cables and connect them to the receivers.
Entrance to the Rand Nature Center, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Maya and Todd checking cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Motus station receiver with attached cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Motus tower set up complete at Rand Nature Center, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
And the work continued…
Eventually, my time with the team came to an end and it was time to return home. The Motus team, however, kept hard at work and completed both installations before departing that weekend!
It is exciting to have these towers set up. I am looking forward to the data that will be collected and the research they will help to advance. In fact, the station at Lucayan National Park has already detected a migratory shorebird—a Semi-palmated Sandpiper that was tagged in Quebec, Canada! I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to assist with this amazing work and to have the ability to see first-hand the work that goes into these installations. I would like to give a special thank you to BirdsCaribbean for including me in this work and to Martha Cartwright for her hospitality!
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Photo by Sipke Stapert)
Demonica Brown is an early-career environmental scientist serving as a Science Officer at the Bahamas National Trust. In her current role, she focuses on avian and terrestrial matters in which she executes multiple bird-related projects involving monitoring migratory and resident birds. Understanding the importance of protected areas to these species, she is passionate about conservation and collecting valuable data that can also further aid in their management. She hopes to pursue a master’s in wildlife and environmental conservation and to conduct much-needed research on local threatened, endangered, and endemic bird species.
Acknowledgments
BirdsCaribbean thanks our members and donors who made the installation of these two Motus stations possible, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Action Fund and American Bird Conservancy (ABC). A huge thank you to Cesar Montero, and to Todd Alleger and the Northeast Motus Collaboration for their ongoing support (Todd now works as the Atlantic Flyway Motus Technical Coordinator with ABC). Thanks also to Martha Cartwright, Delores Kellman, and the BNT staff and volunteers who assisted in getting these stations up. Finally, much gratitude to Ed Gates and the late Erika Gates for supporting our crew on this visit with accommodations, transportation, and delicious meals. We dedicate these two new stations to the memory of Erika Gates, who was always striving to advance bird knowledge, awareness, and conservation in Grand Bahama and the Caribbean.
Children birdwatching at Princess Park, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Every year thousands of migratory birds make epic journeys south. Many stop over in the Caribbean to rest and refuel; others arrive and spend the entire winter with us. Throughout Fall 2023 and on World Migratory Bird Day, we celebrated these beautiful visitors. We recognized and highlighted the amazing ways in which they adapt to endure such lengthy and dangerous journeys, and called attention to the importance of water to the survival of these birds. Check out the fun and creative ways in which Caribbean organizations got involved. Laura Baboolal, Caribbean Coordinator of World Migratory Bird Day for Environment for the Americas (EFTA), tells the story…
Water conservation for migratory birds and people
Every year we eagerly await the arrival of migratory birds as they flock to our shores, wetlands, forests, parks, gardens, and even backyards! This year’s theme was “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”; “Agua: vital para las aves” in Spanish;and in French, “L’eau: Source de vie pour les oiseaux.”
Birds need water as much as we do! They need to drink water to help them regulate body processes and use water to keep themselves clean and cool. And many migratory birds depend on healthy wetland habitats such as ponds, marshes, mangroves, rivers and coastal areas to safely rest during their long journeys south and to feed and replenish their energy.
The wetlands of Monte Cristi in the northern Dominican Republic are a fantastic place for waterbirds, including many migratory shorebirds. (photo by Maria Paulino)
This year’s theme highlighted the the impact of the growing water crisis on migratory birds. This theme resonated in the Caribbean, where islands have been enduring longer-lasting and more severe droughts. It is not only farmers and householders who are feeling the effects of lower than normal rainfall patterns. Birds are, too! Drought causes wetland habitats such as ponds, salinas, marshes, and rivers to shrink and dry up, thus impacting the amount of water available for birds to drink, feed and bathe, particularly those that rely on wetland habitats. Water scarcity also impacts people— we need clean water to drink, bathe, and grow our food.
The good news is that there are easy, everyday ways for us to reduce our water use and keep our natural supply of water flowing. Find out how our dedicated and passionate Caribbean educators throughout the islands used WMBD events to build and support coalitions of people to advocate for the protection of critical wetland habitats and water conservation.
Here are some highlights from this year’s WMBD events held in The Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Sint Maarten, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago. Many more islands are still hosting events, activities and celebrating this special time for migratory birds!
The Bahamas
EARTHCARE, an environmental education NGO that works across the islands of The Bahamas, celebrated WMBD by hosting a birdwatching trip for children at Princess Park on Grand Bahama Island. The children were excited to see and learn about the different birds at the Park. For many it was their first time using binoculars (provided by EFTA) and they were eager to find the birds using this fundamental tool for birders. Children love using binoculars and the first time using them is always a revelation! Gail Woon and Jill Cooper (EARTHCARE representatives) also visited the Eco School at Bishop Michael Eldon School (BMES) and made a presentation on the importance of water to birds, with special emphasis on migratory birds, and people.
EARTHCARE celebrates WMBD with a birdwatching trip for children at Princess Park, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Common Gallinule at Princess Park, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Getting the hang of using binoculars to look at birds. A child adjusts her binoculars while birdwatching at Princess-Park, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Princess Park. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Children birdwatching during EARTHCARE’s WMBD event at Princess Park, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
An immature Common Gallinule makes its way to the pond at Princess Park, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Celebrating migratory birds with the Eco School at Bishop Michael Eldon School, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Students making bird masks during WMBD activities at the Eco School at BMES. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Students enjoying art and craft activities during EARTHCARE’s WMBD event at the Eco School BMES, Grand Bahama. (photo by EARTHCARE)
Jamaica
The Natural History Museum of Jamaica moved its popular “An Afternoon with a Scientist” from online and into nature at Hope Botanical Gardens, with the esteemed speaker being Ricardo Miller. Ricardo is a longtime member of BirdsCaribbean, veteran Jamaican birder, and Environmental Coordinator at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). Following this talk, students of Mona Preparatory School, Rollington Town Primary School and Sts. Peter and Paul Preparatory School in Kingston were treated to a birdwatching trip across the Gardens. Out in the field the youngsters had great fun using binoculars and bird ID cards to find and identify any birds they could spot!
Ricardo Miller speaks to students about migratory birds and water conservation at Hope Gardens, Jamaica. (photo by Natural History Museum of Jamaica)
Ricardo Miller leads students and teachers on a birding trip around Hope Gardens, Jamaica. (photo by Natural History Museum of Jamaica)
Students learn to use binoculars and a spotting scope to look at birds at Hope Gardens, Jamaica.(photo by Natural History Museum of Jamaica)
The session was a collaborative effort among the Hope Botanical Gardens, NEPA and Jamaica Environment Trust to commemorate this year’s World Migratory Day under the theme “Water and its Importance for Migratory Birds”.
Cuba
In Cuba, Biblioteca Municipal de Bauta (Bauta Municipal Library) in collaboration with the Bauta Birdwatchers Club, Faculty of Geography and Bird Ecology Group (University of Havana) hosted a migratory bird watching activity with 4th and 5th grade school students. The children learned about bird identification and the importance of protecting birds in their country.
Bird ID cards in hand and they are excited to go birdwatching. (photo by Bauta Municipal Library)
Students of 4th and 5th grades head outside to watch birds. (photo by Bauta Municipal Library)
Group photo with library staff and students at the library. (photo by Bauta Municipal Library)
Dominican Republic
During the month of October, Grupo Acción Ecológica (GAE) (Ecological Action Group) carried out several activities to celebrate migratory birds. The group ventured to different birding spots in the Dominican Republic to carry out bird counts, and uploaded their birding checklists to the eBird Caribbean online database.
GAE also partnered with the Department of Education to assist students with planting trees at the National Botanical Garden, thus increasing the number of endemic plants at the Garden. These plants will no doubt provide shelter and food for birds, and other wildlife for many years to come! The man-made lagoons at the Garden were the perfect setting for a live demonstration of the importance of water to birds.
A young girl models her bird mask. (photo by GAE)
Group of students birdwatching at one of the man-made lagoons in the National Botanical Gardens. (photo by GAE)
‘What’s that bird?’ Two girls use a field guide to Identify birds at the National Botanical Gardens. (photo by GAE)
In Jarabacoa the hands-on approach to learning, birding, and conservation continued. Students of the Doulos School went on bird walks and learned about different methods to survey bird abundance and species diversity. They also drew and painted the birds they saw and submitted their artwork to a WMBD contest organized by GAE. The festivities ended in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo with a talk, tree planting activity, and birdwatching, where they had the opportunity to see more migratory birds!
Lecturer at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (Autonomous University of Santo Domingo), and long-time member of BirdsCaribbean,Simón Guerrero, introduced primary school students to migratory birds through a riveting presentation on common migrants. They learned about ‘Moonbird,’ a male Red Knot celebrated for its epic 10,000 mile annual migrations and for being the oldest known member of its species! Simón told us, “I always plant some trees to be sure birds will know we are doing something real for them, not just talking.” After the presentation and WMBD activities, firebush or hummingbird bush (Hamelia patens), a plant whose flowers and fruits are very attractive to native, endemic, and some migratory birds, was planted on the school’s compound.
Students captivated by the birds and art on the WMBD 2023 brochure. (photo by Simón Guerrero)
The students were especially excited to learn about the Red Knot called ‘Moonbird.’ (photo by Simón Guerrero)
Students plant the firebush plant in their school’s garden. (photo by Simón Guerrero)
Puerto Rico
Conservation Opportunity got their hands dirty to help migratory birds! The NGO celebrated World Migratory Bird Day by cleaning the waterways in Charco Dos Bocas, Ciales, Puerto Rico. Approximately 150 pounds of trash were collected in one day. Over 50 people showed up to lend a hand and learn about birds. They also installed a new sign, reminding their fellow Puerto Ricans and visitors to the river to keep the environment clean.
River in Charco Dos Bocas Ciales after spectacular cleanup effort by volunteers. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Approximately 150 pounds of trash were collected. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
A community representative speaks about actions taken by residents of Toro Negro to preserve the area.(photo by Conservation Opportunity)
A volunteer ensures no trash is left behind. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
‘Job well done!’ Conservation Opportunity members and volunteers after the amazing cleanup effort.(photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Members of Conservation Opportunity take a photo by their newly installed sign. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Volunteers receive instructions before the start of the clean-up. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
River cleanups provide a-safe spot for migratory birds and help intercept garbage before it reaches our oceans. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
WMBD pins, stickers, bracelets, and more were distributed at Conservation Opportunity’s event. (photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Meanwhile, Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc. (SOPI) headed to EcoExploratorio (Science Museum of Puerto Rico) to talk about water conservation for birds and how to identify some of the more common winter migrants on the island.
‘Let’s talk Birds!’ Visitors to the museum learns about Puerto Rico’s feathered migrants. (photo by SOPI)
SOPI’s booth at EcoExploratorio.
St. Martin / Sint Maarten
This year Laura was able to visit St. Martin to attend a WMBD event hosted by Les Fruits de Mer and to share educational materials with both Les Fruits de Mer and Nature Foundation Sint Maarten.
WMBD Caribbean Coordinator, Laura-Baboolal with Mark Yokoyama and Jennifer Yerkes of Les Fruits de Mer.
Educational books on the wildlife of St Martin written by Jenn and Mark, were given to children during the event. (photo by Laura Baboolal)
‘Hi Mark!’ Mark eagerly awaits the arrival of participants. (photo by Laura Baboolal)
This Migratory Bird Festival included art activities for children, educational activity books developed by the organization, and nature walks.
Guadeloupe
Our partner, outstanding guide, and skilled biologist Anthony Levesque gave a talk on the on the birds of La Désirade. It is one of the islands of Guadeloupe and is better known for its white sand beaches and coral reef. It is also a sanctuary for birds looking to rest and refuel during migration. The following day Anthony led a birdwatching tour with 20 participants, who recorded some notable species such as the Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Bobolink.
Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs (Photo by Anthony VanSchoor)
Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Photo by Jesse Gordon)
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Photo by Linda Petersen)
Male Bobolink in breeding plumage. (Photo by Ryan Sanderson- Macaulay Library-ML342377131)
Bobolink females. Male and female Bobolinks have similar plumage in the non-breeding season. Look out for flocks of these sparrow-like birds during migration. (Photo by Karalyn Lamb-Macaulay-ML4702854910)
Trinidad and Tobago
WMBD was celebrated in May on the same day as Global Big Day and the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF), at the ARC Conservation Field Station in Brasso Seco in Trinidad. You can read about the “Protect the Rivers, Save the Birds” event in our CEBF wrap-up blog.
In October, local school teacher Sabira Ali, who hosts private birding activities for children, celebrated WMBD with her students. The activity included a presentation on migratory birds—by the students themselves! Students were asked to select a migratory bird and give a short presentation on the bird to their classmates. This was followed by decorating bird masks and a fun quiz to recap all the feathery facts learned.
One of Sabira’s-students puts her personal touches on her bird mask. (photo by Sabira Ali)
‘It’s time for a WMBD quiz!’ Sabira tests the participants knowledge of migratory birds in a fun and short quiz.
Sabira’s students stops to take a photo with the colorful WMBD 2023 brochures. (photo by Sabira Ali)
We applaud the tremendous efforts of our educators who plan and execute educational and fun activities to ensure an unforgettable WMBD and inspire a love for birds and birdwatching. We extend a massive thank you to our ambassadors, who selflessly deliver educational materials to Caribbean islands. Environment for the Americas and BirdsCaribbean extend our greatest thanks to all of you and we look forward to seeing what you have planned for WMBD 2024!
Birds Connect our World—Fifteen new species shared on BirdsCaribbean’s website
BirdsCaribbean recognized WMBD by featuring new migratory birds in our virtual campaign– Birds Connect Our World. Each migratory bird profile was accompanied by a beautifully drawn coloring page by Christine Elder, stunning high quality photos and videos, online puzzles tailored for different levels (between six and 1,024 pieces), and bird calls. Fun, free and engaging activities were also provided for both kids and adults, including downloadable coloring pages, experiments, up-cycle crafts, and more. We also created short videos to help birders identify shorebirds that show up every fall in the Caribbean—for example, the Least Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher and Stilt Sandpiper,Black-bellied and American Golden Plovers and the small and adorable, but confusing, plovers too!
Flying, hopping, wiggling, and crawling towards WMBD 2024
The WMBD theme for 2024 is Insects! While some people may shriek at the sight of these tiny creatures (and rightfully so because our brains confuse fear with disgust, and some insects are actually harmful to us) they are an important delicacy for birds. In fact, insects are so important to birds that migratory birds will literally fly halfway around the globe just to have an ample supply of insects to eat! Insects and bugs are a high protein food. Protein is essential to birds for keeping up energy and body mass and for growing baby birds.
A study published in the Journal of Biological Conservation reported that 40% of all insect species are declining globally. Loss of natural areas like forests and grasslands that have been converted or degraded by intensive agriculture and urban development, and climate change, have all contributed to this downward population trend. A scarcity of this protein-rich food source can hinder bird migration and breeding, leading to weakened immune systems, reduced reproductive success, and increased mortality rates for both adult birds and their offspring.
The WMBD campaign in 2024 will thus stress the need for proactive conservation measures like reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, switching to organic farming, and maintaining and connecting areas of natural vegetation in agricultural landscapes.
If you are interested in celebrating WMBD in your country, or if you can deliver materials to a Caribbean country, we encourage you to visit the WMBD website for more information; or contact the Caribbean Regional Coordinator, Laura Baboolal, at lbaboolal@environmentamericas.org. If you have an event planned, you can register it and put the Caribbean on the global events map.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to invite applications to participate in a 5-day training workshop focused on bird banding, an important tool for research and monitoring! Through a blend of classroom and field-based activities, participants will learn about the basics of bird banding—from setting up a mist-net to examining molt patterns. We’ll also discuss and demonstrate some of the benefits of joining our new Caribbean Bird Banding Network. We’re very excited to take our bird banding workshop to the Lesser Antilles this year! In partnership with Gaea Conservation Network and the Grenada Fund for Conservation, the workshop will take place in Grenada, from March 7-11, 2024.
Why do we need to band birds?
A Cuban Tody wearing a BirdsCaribbean band about to be released. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)
Bird surveys, like those we will cover in our upcoming Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop, provide valuable information about bird communities. Bird banding is another tool that can give us deeper insight into how our birds are doing. By individually marking and assessing birds in the hand, we can collect data that can tell us about their demography and health, including:
Looking at fat scores and weights to assess the body condition of birds in different habitats and at different times of the year, which in turn sheds light on the quality of the habitats these birds are using;
Aging birds using plumage to investigate demographic patterns;
Using recapture records to learn about survivorship and longevity;
Assessing the presence or absence of breeding characteristics to better understand the timing of breeding and life history for many of our understudied Caribbean endemics; and
Finding out which migratory routes our shared birds are taking, and gaining a better understanding of factors influencing survival and longevity of species.
Over the long-term, banding can also help us understand patterns and trends in bird populations, to aid in their management and conservation.
About the workshop
This workshop is the third annual Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) Training Workshop. It will cover many of the same topics explored in our previous CBB Training workshops held in The Bahamas (March 2022) and the Dominican Republic (March 2023). The workshop is designed for Caribbean wildlife professionals and volunteers who are interested in gaining more experience with bird banding. Prior banding experience is not required. However, priority will be given to applicants who are likely to continue training to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to initiate avian research and/or banding programs on their home islands.This workshop will focus on banding landbirds. We hope to provide banding training opportunities for other bird groups in the future.
The purpose of the workshop is to:
Provide participants with a basic understanding of bird banding techniques and best practices.
Discuss what it takes to set-up and run a bird banding station.
Prepare participants for additional bird banding training and potential North American Banding Council (NABC) certifications (bander, trainer) in the future.
Share information about the other training opportunities, resources, and community available through the CBB Network.
Daniela Ventura del Puerto (Cuba) provides instruction on bird molt to workshop participants Giselle Ragoonanan (Trinidad) and Elvin Manual Vargas Estevez (Dominican Republic).
Several NABC-certified trainers will share their knowledge in the classroom, at the mist-net, and at the banding table, covering topics like:
Proper set-up and placement of a mist-net
Extracting birds from mist-nets using the body-grasp technique
Starting a banding station
Bird first-aid and safety
Bird banding ethics and basics
Using bird banding for education and public demonstrations
Aging birds using both WRP and Howell-Pyle terminology
Molt patterns
Bird banding is a complex skill to learn. This workshop is intended to be a starting point, and participants should not expect to leave the workshop with the necessary qualifications to band birds independently. To become fully immersed and practice what was learned at the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to be considered for a bird banding internship at one of several partner bird observatories.
In an effort to decrease the amount of time spent in the classroom, some workshop sessions will be held virtually prior to the in-person workshop. These virtual sessions will also be made available to a wider audience. Stay tuned for more information!
Funding and Logistics
We aim to include approximately 15 participants in this workshop. BirdsCaribbean has funding for a limited number of need and merit-based scholarships to cover the costs of travel and participation. Participants who are able to contribute all or part of their costs can help us enhance the workshop content and allow us to include additional participants/trainers. We encourage applications from all candidates who are well-suited to make use of this training, regardless of their financial ability. Participants should plan to arrive in Grenada on March 6th and depart on March 12th.
Participants at our Caribbean Bird Banding Workshop held in the Dominican Republic earlier this year. (Photo by Joshua Covill)
Applications
If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please fill out this form by 22 December 2023.
BirdsCaribbean would like to thank J.C. Fernández-Ordóñez for the Spanish translation.
Oportunidad de Capacitación: Taller de Anillamiento de Aves en el Caribe
BirdsCaribbean se complace en invitarle a participar de un taller de capacitación de 5 días centrado en el anillamiento de aves, una importante herramienta para la investigación y el seguimiento. A través de una combinación de actividades de aula y de campo, los participantes aprenderán los fundamentos del anillamiento de aves, desde la instalación de una red de niebla hasta el examen de los patrones de muda. También discutiremos y demostraremos algunos de los beneficios de unirse a nuestra nueva Red de Anillamiento de Aves del Caribe. Estamos muy contentos de llevar nuestro taller de anillamiento de aves a las Antillas Menores este año. En colaboración con Gaea Conservation Network y el Fondo de Granada para la Conservación, el taller tendrá lugar en Granada del 7 al 11 de marzo de 2024.
¿Por qué necesitamos anillar aves?
Los estudios sobre aves, como los que trataremos en nuestro próximo taller de capacitación sobre seguimiento de aves terrestres, proporcionan información valiosa sobre las comunidades de aves. El anillamiento de aves es otra herramienta que puede darnos una visión más profunda de cómo están nuestras aves. Marcando y evaluando individualmente a las aves en la mano, podemos recopilar datos que nos informen sobre su demografía y salud, entre otros:
Observar las puntuaciones de grasa y los pesos para evaluar la condición corporal de las aves en diferentes hábitats y en diferentes épocas del año, lo que a su vez arroja luz sobre la calidad de los hábitats que estas aves están utilizando;
Envejecimiento de las aves mediante el plumaje para investigar patrones demográficos;
Utilización de registros de recaptura para conocer la supervivencia y la longevidad;
Evaluar la presencia o ausencia de características reproductoras para comprender mejor el momento de la reproducción y el ciclo biológico de muchas de nuestras endémicas caribeñas poco estudiadas; y
Averiguar qué rutas migratorias siguen nuestras aves compartidas y comprender mejor los factores que influyen en la supervivencia y longevidad de las especies.
A largo plazo, el anillamiento también puede ayudarnos a comprender las pautas y tendencias de las poblaciones de aves para contribuir a su gestión y conservación.
Sobre el taller
Este taller es el tercer Taller Anual de Capacitación en Anillamiento de Aves en el Caribe (CBB). Cubrirá muchos de los mismos temas explorados en nuestros talleres previos de Entrenamiento en CBB llevados a cabo en Las Bahamas (marzo 2022) y República Dominicana (marzo 2023). El taller está diseñado para profesionales y voluntarios de la vida silvestre del Caribe que estén interesados en adquirir más experiencia en el anillamiento de aves. No se requiere experiencia previa en anillamiento. Sin embargo, se dará prioridad a los solicitantes que tengan posibilidades de seguir formándose para adquirir los conocimientos, habilidades y experiencia necesarios para iniciar programas de investigación y/o anillamiento de aves en sus islas de origen. Este taller se centrará en el anillamiento de aves terrestres. Esperamos ofrecer oportunidades de formación en anillamiento para otros grupos de aves en el futuro.
El propósito del taller es:
Proporcionar a los participantes una comprensión básica de las técnicas de anillamiento de aves y las mejores prácticas.
Discutir lo que se necesita para montar y dirigir una estación de anillamiento de aves.
Preparar a los participantes para formación adicional en anillamiento de aves y posibles certificaciones del Consejo Norteamericano de Anillamiento (NABC) (anillador, formador) en el futuro.
Compartir información sobre otras oportunidades de formación, recursos y comunidad disponibles a través de la Red CBB.
Varios formadores certificados por la NABC compartirán sus conocimientos en el aula, en la red de niebla y en la mesa de anillamiento, abordando temas como:
Montaje y colocación correctos de una red de niebla
Extracción de aves de las redes de niebla mediante la técnica de agarre del cuerpo
Puesta en marcha de una estación de anillamiento
Primeros auxilios y seguridad de las aves
Ética y fundamentos del anillamiento de aves
Uso del anillado de aves para educación y demostraciones públicas
Envejecimiento de aves utilizando terminología WRP y Howell-Pyle
Patrones de muda
El anillamiento de aves es una habilidad compleja de aprender. Este taller pretende ser un punto de partida, y los participantes no deben esperar salir del taller con las calificaciones necesarias para anillar aves de manera independiente. Para sumergirse por completo y poner en práctica lo aprendido en el taller, los participantes tendrán la oportunidad de ser tenidos en cuenta para unas prácticas de anillamiento de aves en uno de los varios observatorios de aves asociados.
En un esfuerzo por reducir el tiempo de permanencia en el aula, algunas sesiones del taller se celebrarán virtualmente antes del taller presencial. Estas sesiones virtuales también se pondrán a disposición de un público más amplio. Esté atento para más información.
Financiación y logística
Nuestro objetivo es contar con aproximadamente 15 participantes en este taller. BirdsCaribbean cuenta con financiación para un número limitado de becas basadas en la necesidad y el mérito para cubrir los costes de viaje y participación. Los participantes que puedan contribuir con la totalidad o parte de sus costes pueden ayudarnos a mejorar el contenido del taller y permitirnos incluir más participantes/formadores. Animamos a presentar solicitudes a todos los candidatos que estén en condiciones de aprovechar esta formación, independientemente de su capacidad financiera. Los participantes deberán prever su llegada a Granada el 6 de marzo y su salida el 12 de marzo.
Solicitudes
Si está interesado en participar en este taller, complete este formulario antes del 22 de diciembre de 2023.
One of the issues that the birding community has been working on for the last several years is how we can be more welcoming and inclusive of all birders—beginner birders and future potential birders—to join us and share the joy of birding. It’s an issue to which passionate birders, Hannah Buschert, and her husband Erik, have given a great deal of thought, and which led to the creation of Women Birders (Happy Hour) podcast.
Their ‘happy hour’ podcast is dedicated to broadcasting the lived experiences of women, from diverse backgrounds, who love birds. And of course, it’s not happy hour without cocktails! For each episode, Hannah delights us with a unique, bird-inspired alcoholic concoction based on a species mentioned in the interview!
Last month’s guest was our very own BirdsCaribbean President—Dr Adrianne Tossas! Adrianne has a Ph.D. degree in ecology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. She currently teaches biology at the university level, leading undergraduate students in avian ecology research and conservation work. Along with her students, she monitors landbird and waterbird populations in northwestern Puerto Rico. In addition to her role as President of BirdsCaribbean, she serves as the Co-Chair of the organization’s Mentorship Program and Chair of the Grant Awards Committee. She is the author of the book Birds of Puerto Rico for Children, and regularly gives talks and contributes newspaper articles about conservation for the general public.
Dr Tossas with her students in field.
Dr Tossas leads a birding tour for girls during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
Adjusting a spotting scope for participants during a Bird Guide Training workshop in Turks and Caicos. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Grab yourself a drink (might we suggest Hannah’s Puerto Rican Vireo cocktail below?), kick back, and settle into happy hour with Hannah and Adrianne! It’s an inspiring podchat about how Adrianne started birding, her experience being a woman in a male-dominated field, her research, the mentors that helped to guide and shape her into the conservationist that she is today, and her efforts to transform the local birding community in Puerto Rico to include more women and young birders.
Enjoy!
Listen
Choose your preferred podcast platform to listen to Adrianne’s interview by clicking this Buzzsprout link.
For as long as we have been here, human activity has fundamentally altered our environment. In this blog, forensic scientist and ornithologist, Dr Jessica Oswald, and archaeologist and curator, Dr Michelle LeFebvre, discuss their latest research into changes in parrot diversity after human arrival to the Caribbean. Their study analyzed ancient DNA from fossils and archaeological specimens to show how even cultures and peoples that are largely lost, have shaped the diversity and distributions of species, and changed ecosystems.
Dr LeFebvre elaborates, “As we enter what many are calling the “Age of Humans” (or the Anthropocene), it is more and more apparent that conservation must consider how species can survive in a human-dominated world. In the Caribbean, parrot conservation is exemplary of this need! This study provides a long-term blueprint, or baseline, of past human impacts on parrots from which to think about the future of extant parrot species distribution, vulnerability to loss, and hopefully persistence across Caribbean landscapes increasingly impacted by people.” Dr Oswald adds, “Only through deep time perspectives of diversity with paleontological (pre-human), archaeological (human associated) and modern samples from museum specimens, can we begin to reveal the complexity of our role in shaping our natural world.”
Co-authors Michelle LeFebvre (left) and Jessica Oswald (middle), pictured with graduate student Cristina Oliveira (right), combined DNA from modern museum specimens with ancient DNA from fossils and archaeological specimens to find out how humans altered the distribution of parrots. (Photo by Kristen Grace/Florida Museum)
Understanding the long-term impact of humans on biodiversity is critical for sound conservation. Parrots are one of the most enigmatic and beloved animals worldwide. For thousands of years, they have been valued as pets, for their feathers, and as a source of food. They are also among some of the most endangered birds today as they face extinction due to habitat loss and the pet trade. Parrot conservation efforts include reintroduction to places previously occupied by parrots and breeding programs. However, knowing the natural (pre- human) distributions of parrots is nearly impossible with modern day distributions because of thousands of years of trade and habitat loss. The conservation of parrot species thus greatly benefits from knowledge about past parrot diversity and distributions prior to encountering people for the first time. We can obtain this information through fossils and bones from paleontological (pre-human) and archaeological (human associated) sites.
Humans have been altering the natural world for longer than we thought
The Caribbean is a well-known biodiversity hotspot. Yet, the region has lost more than half of its native parrot diversity since the arrival of humans around 6,000 years ago, including macaws, parakeets, and even a tiny sparrow-sized parrot called a parrotlet that once inhabited the islands. Today, there are only 12 remaining parrots native to the Caribbean, which compete for space and resources with 12 non-native parrot species that have been recently introduced to the islands. Fossil and archaeological records and historical documents, all suggest that the remaining species were once far more abundant than they are today. For example, while exploring The Bahamas over 500 years ago, Columbus wrote that flocks of parrots were so abundant that they “obscure[d] the sun.”
All species of Amazona parrots are in decline and their pre-human, native distributions are not well understood. Through our work recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we aimed to understand how diversity and distribution of Amazona parrots changed before and after humans arrived in the Caribbean. Our primary focus was on the Cuban Parrot (A. leucocephala) and the Hispaniolan Parrot (A. ventralis), which have excellent archaeological and paleontological records. These records allowed us to reconstruct historical distributions and diversity over ~10,000 years—a period called the Holocene—through the ancient DNA found in these remains. Through this effort we also investigated the genetic relationships of living or recently lost (in the 20th century) Cuban Parrot populations and the relationships of all Amazona species using modern specimens curated in natural history museum collections. We combined this molecular data with carbon dating and evolutionary analysis to produce a comprehensive baseline of Caribbean parrot diversity through time.
DNA from Hispaniolan Parrot Amazona ventralis (top) and Cuban Parrot A. leucocephala (middle) specimens, and their bones (bottom) were sampled for this project. The left two (humeri) bones are from fossil sites while the rightmost is from a modern specimen. (Photo by Kristen Grace/Florida Museum)
The endemic Hispaniolan Parrot was once native . . . to The Bahamas!
In our study, we found that Caribbean parrots were much more diverse earlier in the Holocene and prior to human arrival to the region. Parrot extinctions started upon the arrival of Indigenous peoples ~6,000 years ago, accelerated through colonization by European settlers at the end of the 15th century, and they continue today. Within Amazona parrots, we found evidence that a population of Cuban Parrots in the Turks and Caicos was genetically distinct and is now extinct. The Hispaniolan Parrot, now endemic to Hispaniola, was once also native to The Bahamas prior to human settlement. Our results also suggest that the Hispaniolan Parrot was transported to islands beyond their native ranges, including Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles. From the perspective of Caribbean parrot conservation, our results suggest that many species have been lost due to human impacts and there is evidence of long-term human introductions of species beyond their native ranges.
Hispaniolan Parrot eating. (Photo by Dax Roman)
The findings from our study provide the most detailed view of Caribbean parrot diversity and distribution across the Holocene and show that the shifts in parrot diversity and distributions were strongly influenced by people across millennia. The results clarify that notions about whether a species is native or restricted to a region or island requires data across long time scales, rather than relying purely on the lens of the present. Deep-time historical sciences and perspectives are key to conservation as we navigate biodiversity loss and conservation in the present and future.
Pair of Cuban Parrots. (Photo by Ger Bosma)
Jessica A. Oswald is a Michigan native who earned her PhD from the University of Florida. She has spent her career building a research program that uses a variety of data, like fossils and genomic data, to understand the diversity and distributions of birds. Her hope is that these data can be used for conservation applications and will provide insight into the importance of paleontological data in biogeographic, phylogenetic, and ecological studies.
Michelle J. LeFebvre is an archaeologist and a curator of archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. With a focus on how interactions between people and animals in the past have impacted animal diversity and distribution in the present, she collaborates with paleontologists, biologists, Indigenous peoples, and local resource managers to support the conservation of biological and cultural diversity in the Anthropocene. Her passion lies in exploring the ways in which human culture and nature are linked and shape the world around us.
Birdwatching is a hobby that can be enjoyed by everyone. Being in nature with a group of like-minded people can be particularly rewarding. But access to these spaces and events are not equal, especially for people with disabilities and chronic illness. There is still a tendency to make the assumption that disability access and wheelchair access are one and the same.
Birdabilityis a non-profit organization founded by Virginia Rose, who fell off a horse at the age of 14 and has used a wheelchair since then. She began birding 17 years ago and wanted to share her passion and joy with others with disability challenges. Inspired by movements such as #BlackBirdersWeek, Virginia founded Birdability in 2020. Birdability’s vision is that birding is for everyone—including those with disabilities and other health concerns. It is supported by National Audubon in the U.S. and many other organizations and businesses.
The organization focuses on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing, or have other health concerns. Information and resources to help the birding community be more mindful and inclusive of these birders who may sometimes feel left out can be found on its website.
Founder and President of Birdability, Virginia Rose. (Photo credit: birdability.org)
Birdability Week (16th-22nd October 2023) offers the opportunity for birding groups, non-governmental organizations, and groups of family and friends to host an accessible bird outing. With some thoughtful planning this event can be enjoyable for every body. In the past, our partners in Antigua and Barbuda and the Dominican Republic have held CEBF birding events for persons with disabilities. In Puerto Rico, local NGO SOPI’s (Sociedad Ornitólogica Puertorriqueña) birding event for blind youth allowed participants to “see” birds by handling carved wooden birds. We would love to see more of these events taking place throughout the region.
Watch the Birds or Follow the Birdsong—Birding is for ALL
Help Put Accessible Birding Locations in the Caribbean on the Map!
There is also a Birdability Site Map which allows you to search for accessible sites near you. The majority of the locations are in North America and a few have been identified in Central America and South America. If you know of accessible birding locations on your island we encourage you to complete on-site, in-person Birdability Site Reviews and add them to the Birdability Map.
Birdability Site Map showing locations of nature reserves and parks with varying degrees of accessibility.
Attend a Virtual Event and Connect with Differently Abled Birders
There are a number of in-person and virtual events already scheduled—from panel discussions about accessibility challenges to field sketching and bird trivia for Birdability Week. This year, the Birdability team is also launching a digital series to showcase accessible birding experiences from around the world! They are looking for birders like yourself to take a video or write about an accessible location outside of the U.S. to be featured on their YouTube channel and website.
Mark Your Calendars and plan to attend! Featured birds: Broad-billed Tody by Dax Roman; Palmchat; Hispaniolan Woodpecker by Jose M Pantaleon; Hispaniolan Emerald by Dax Roman E.
BirdsCaribbean conferences bring together Caribbean and international wildlife professionals, ornithologists, educators, decision makers, the eco-tourism industry, community leaders, students, volunteers, and many others to network, share information, and learn about the latest research and innovative initiatives to conserve Caribbean birds and their habitats. ALL are welcome!
Our local host is Grupo Jaragua (GJ), a Dominican non-profit organization that is dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity in Hispaniola, using the best available science in collaboration with local communities. Working together with GJ and other local partners, we look forward to welcoming you to the DR in July 2024!
*Drumroll please* Unveiling our Theme!
The conference organizing committee has chosen the theme: From Mangroves to Mountains—Safeguarding our Avian Treasures. This theme celebrates the incredible variety of habitats and endemic birds found in Hispaniola (the second largest island in the Caribbean, which includes Dominican Republic and Haiti). Thirty-four species of birds are endemic to this island—that is, they are found nowhere else in the world. It is also home to an additional 17 regional endemics and provides critical stopover and wintering habitats for over 100 migratory species, like the threatened Bicknell’s Thrush.
View along the way to Constanza, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Ted Lee Eubanks)
The theme calls attention to the diverse habitats in Hispaniola where these birds live—from the coastal mangroves and wetlands, across striking pine savannas to lush cloud forests in the mountains, where one may sleep comfortably under a down blanket in July! These habitats must be protected not only for birds, but also for people. They provide critical ecosystem services, such as protection from storms and floods, clean air and water, and food; as well as opportunities for recreation, education, and cultural enrichment.
Bicknell’s Thrush. (Photo by Dax Roman)
Palmchat. (Photo by Dax Roman)
Hispaniolan Trogon. (Photo by Dax Roman)
With this theme, we hope to raise awareness throughout the island about the beauty and value of nature in Hispaniola, exemplified by its magnificent bird life. We must all be guardians and take care of our avian treasures. If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us.
Agenda Highlights: What to Expect
As usual, our five-day conference will offer a range of exciting symposia, technical paper sessions, workshops, keynote speakers, and round-table discussions. We will share the latest science, conservation, management techniques, education, and community engagement projects that help raise awareness, protect habitats, and conserve birds. We will also organize pre-, post-, and mid-conference field trips to visit the most spectacular birding hotspots all over the country—giving delegates the chance to enjoy Hispaniola’s incredible birds and breathtaking landscapes.
Of course, the conference will offer invaluable opportunities to network with and learn from colleagues working in a variety of fields across the Caribbean and beyond. As those who have attended our conferences in the past can attest, our biennial gatherings are “the best” and “not to be missed!” (in the video below, check out a few comments by delegates at our conference in Guadeloupe).
Planning for the conference is well underway. Our conference website can be found here, where details on the program, logistics, conference field trips, travel scholarships, accommodations, and registration will be added soon. Keep an eye out also for the Call for Keynote Speakers, and Call for Proposals for Workshops, Symposia, Round-table Discussions, and call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations. For now we want to encourage you to spread the word and block these dates off in your calendar.
By the way, if you haven’t done so already, please sign up for our BirdsCaribbean listserve – the best place to receive up-to-date news and information regarding the conference. We also also share all announcements on our social media so please follow us! (@BirdsCaribbean on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linked In and YouTube). Finally, please sign up for our monthly newsletter. We’re looking forward to seeing you in the Dominican Republic!
#BirdsCarib2024DR
More about our local host, Grupo Jaragua:Since 1989, Grupo Jaragua has worked on the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems, advocacy, education, and promotion of sustainable livelihoods in Hispaniola. Key programs have focused on the conservation of the threatened Black-capped Petrel and Hispaniolan Parrot. Learn more here.
¡Reserva la fecha! 24ª Conferencia Internacional de BirdsCaribbean en la República Dominicana
¡Marque su calendario y haga planes para asistir! Aves destacadas: Broad-billed Tody por Dax Roman; Palmchat; Hispaniolan Woodpecker por Jose M Pantaleon; Hispaniolan Emerald por Dax Roman E.
Nuestro anfitrión será el Grupo Jaragua (GJ), una organización local sin fines de lucro que se dedica a la conservación de la biodiversidad de La Española, en colaboración con comunidades locales y apoyándose en la ciencia. ¡Trabajando juntos con GJ y otros socios locales, esperamos darles la bienvenida en la República Dominicana en julio 2024!
Las conferencias de BirdsCaribbean reúnen a profesionales de vida silvestre, ornitólogos, educadores, tomadores de decisiones, industria del ecoturismo, líderes comunitarios, estudiantes, voluntarios y muchos otros del Caribe e internacionales para establecer conexiones, compartir información y aprender sobre lo último en investigaciones e iniciativas innovadoras para la conservación de las aves del Caribe y sus hábitats. ¡TODOS son bienvenidos!
Redoble de tambores, por favor: Revelando el tema de la Conferencia
El comité al mando de la conferencia seleccionó el tema: Del Manglar a la Montaña: Protegiendo nuestras Preciadas Aves. Este tema celebra la increíble variedad de hábitats y aves endémicas de La Española (la segunda isla más grande del Caribe, la cual incluye a la República Dominicana y Haití). Treinta y cuatro especies de aves endémicas de esta isla – es decir, que no se encuentran en ninguna otra parte del mundo. También es hogar de 17 otras aves endémicas regionales, y proporciona hábitats y paradas de reposo para más de 100 especies de aves migratorias, como el amenazado Zorzal de Bicknell.
Vista a lo largo del camino a Constanza, República Dominicana. (Foto de Ted Lee Eubanks)
El tema llama a la atención de los diversos hábitats en La Española donde viven estas aves – desde los manglares costeros y humedales, hasta las magníficas sabanas de pinar que llevan a los bosques nublados de montaña, ¡donde hasta en julio se puede dormir cómodamente bajo una manta! Estos hábitats deben protegerse no solo para las aves, sino también para las personas. Estos proveen críticos servicios a los ecosistemas, tales como la protección contra tormentas e inundaciones, limpieza del aire y agua, alimento, oportunidades de recreación, educación, y enriquecimiento cultural.
Bicknell’s Thrush (Foto por Dax Roman)
Palmchat (Foto por Dax Roman)
Hispaniolan Trogon (Foto por Dax Roman)
Con este tema, esperamos crear conciencia sobre la belleza y el valor de la naturaleza de La Española, ejemplificada por su magnífica avifauna. Todos debemos ser guardianes y cuidar nuestras preciosas aves. Si cuidamos la naturaleza, la naturaleza cuidará de nosotros.
Agenda: Qué se Espera
Como de costumbre, nuestra conferencia de cinco días ofrecerá una gama de emocionantes simposios, sesiones de ponencias técnicas, talleres, expositores destacados y discusiones en mesas redondas. Compartiremos lo último en la ciencia, conservación, técnicas de manejo, educación, y proyectos de participación de la comunidad para crear conciencia, proteger los hábitats y conservar a las aves. También se organizarán viajes de campo pre, post y durante la conferencia para visitar los lugares de avistamiento de aves más espectaculares de todo el país – brindando la oportunidad a nuestros delegados de disfrutar de las increíbles aves y de los impresionantes paisajes de La Española.
Por supuesto, la conferencia ofrecerá invaluables oportunidades para establecer conexiones y aprender de colegas que trabajan en diversos campos de todo el Caribe y más allá. Aquellos que han asistido a nuestras pasadas conferencias, consideran que estas son “las mejores” y que “¡no se lo pueden perder!”.
La planificación de la conferencia ya está en marcha. El sitio web de la conferencia se encuentra aquí, donde pronto se ofrecerán detalles sobre el programa, la logística, las excursiones, las becas de viaje, el alojamiento y la inscripción. Esté atento también a la convocatoria de ponentes principales y de propuestas de talleres, simposios y mesas redondas, así como a la convocatoria de resúmenes para presentaciones orales y pósteres. De momento queremos animarle a que corra la voz y marque estas fechas en su calendario.
Más sobre nuestro anfitrión, Grupo Jaragua: Desde el 1989 Grupo Jaragua ha trabajado en la conservación de especies y ecosistemas en peligro, defensoría, educación y promoción de medios de vida sostenibles en La Española. Entre sus programas clave destacamos aquellos para la conservación de aves amenazadas como el diablotín y la cotorra de La Española. Para más información visita aqui.
Calling all Caribbean bird lovers! Let’s be on the alert, and scan the skies for our migrating birds!
World Migratory Bird Day 2023 poster featuring artwork by Nicaraguan artist Augusto Silva.
October 14th, 2023 marks the official date for World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in the Caribbean and Central and South America; it’s celebrated in May in North America. It’s one of the most exciting times of year for birdwatchers and reflects the awesome nature of bird migration—the exact timing of which varies between the northern and southern hemispheres. It’s the time when migratory birds appear, as if by magic, in Caribbean gardens, forests, coastlines, and hillsides—returning to their favorite spots where food and shelter are plentiful.
While we welcome our wonderful warblers, shorebirds, landbirds, hawks and others back “home” to spend the winter months on our islands, we also recognise that WMBD is a global campaign. It is a platform for citizens worldwide to learn more about migratory birds, to realize their value—and, most importantly, to understand the need to conserve them.
This year’s WMBD theme highlights the impact of the growing water crisis on migratory birds. This theme resonates in the Caribbean, where islands have been enduring longer-lasting and more severe droughts. It is not only farmers and householders who are feeling the effects of lower than normal rainfall patterns. Birds are, too! This October, 2023, the Caribbean will be a part of the worldwide campaign—adopting the theme “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.”
Here is the WMBD 2023 theme in other regional languages:
Agua: vital para las aves
L’eau: Source de vie pour les oiseaux
As the saying goes, “Water is life.”
Water is essential for the survival of all living organisms on this “Blue Planet.” Migratory birds depend on watery places for resting, breeding and feeding. These include rivers and streams, swamps and wetlands, ponds and gullies; and of course, coastal waters.
The wetlands of Monte Cristi are a fantastic place for waterbirds, including many migratory shorebirds. (photo by Maria Paulino)
Zapata Swamp in Cuba is an incredibly important place for waterbirds and people. (photo by Garry Donaldson)
The world famous Bonaire salt ponds support large numbers of many species of migratory shorebirds, including the Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Red Knot, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, and Sanderling.
The Layou River in St. Vincent is an important freshwater site. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The Anasco River in Puerto Rico provides a home to species like the West Indian Whistling-Duck and it is a source of fresh water on the island. (photo by Adrienne Tossas)
Wetlands are wonderful places for birds, recreation and learning. View of the Twin Bridges, Ashton Lagoon, Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
As Caribbean residents may have noticed during this intensely hot summer, birds have flocked to bird baths, drains, and water sources of all kinds to quench their thirst and preen their feathers, especially in more urban areas. However, the extreme heat and drought, fueled by climate change, are not the only challenges facing migratory birds. The quantity and quality of freshwater supplies are declining. Pollution (pesticides, chemicals, sewage, and plastic pollution) threatens many bird habitats. With ongoing tourism and housing developments, especially along the coast, the demand for freshwater for human use is growing.
A huge diversity of waterbirds and shorebirds call the Mt. Hartman wetlands in Grenada home, including both resident and migratory species. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
We can all help our migratory birds
This WMBD join us in spreading the message that water conservation is important for all life on Earth, including birds! You can also help birds by planting native trees that require less watering and provide food and habitat, disposing of your garbage properly, lending a hand to clean up critical bird habitats, and making water conservation part of your daily routine by taking shorter showers, immediately fixing leaking faucets and pipes, and washing full loads only.
A homemade birdbath is another great way to provide birds with a reliable source of clean water. Every bird-friendly garden needs a spot for birds to drink from, clean themselves, or to just cool down on a hot day! These are so easy to put together and can be made from materials around your house and yard. This is also a great way to attract birds that don’t eat seeds or drink nectar to your garden—talk about a win-win!
Gray Catbird “Yo Bath needs refilling”. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Clear the runway because coming in for landing is..
Every year, Environment for the Americas focuses on ten “special” species to feature in promotions. For this year’s WMBD the ten focal species selected are:
Northern Shoveler*
Male Northern Shoveler in breeding plumage. Note the huge, spoon-shaped bill.
Female Northern Shoveler also has the distinctive spatulate bill but she is buffy-brown.
Male Northern Shoveler in nonbreeding plumage. (photo by Steve Metchis ML291848121)
American White Pelican*
American White Pelican in breeding plumage. A yellow plate forms on the upper bill of breeding adults. (photo by Gerrit Vyn ML192450401)
American White Pelican in nonbreeding plumage.
Wilson’s Phalarope*
Male Wilson’s Phalarope in breeding plumage. It lacks the neck stripe seen in the female.
Female Wilson’s Phalarope in breeding plumage. Note that she is more colorful than the male!
Wilson’s Phalarope in nonbreeding plumage. (photo by Josh Fecteau ML58365021
Northern Waterthrush*
Northern Waterthrush. Look for this migratory bird along the water’s edge.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo*
Yellow-billed Cuckoo having a drink at a bird bath. (photo by Edward Plumer ML103092191)
Barn Swallow*
Barn Swallow, male. (Photo by Daniel W. Glenn)
Rufous Hummingbird
Dickcissel*
Male Dickcissel in breeding plumage. Note the black V on the throat. (photo by Martina Nordstrand ML232134471)
The female Dickcissel has a pale yellow breast and eyebrow. (photo by Mike Cameron ML156064841)
Magellanic Penguin
Osprey*
Osprey with a fresh catch of fish in Bonaire. (photo by Gérard Cachon)
Some of these birds are quite familiar to us in the Caribbean; at least eight of them—those with an asterisk—occur on Caribbean islands, though they are not all common. The region is significant for these traveling birds who move to, from, across, and through the region.
WMBD celebrations would not be complete without some spectacular artwork!
This year’s artist, Augusto Silva of Nicaragua, is well known for his geometric and colorful style. In aquatic blues and greens, Augusto’s art perfectly captures the WMBD 2023 theme. His work is influenced by the traditional life of the Afro-Caribbean indigenous community and pre-Columbian petroglyphs—and inspired by Nature.
WMBD 2023 artist Augusto Silva.
Free WMBD resources for educators and conservationists
So, how can we continue to raise awareness on the importance of water (agua, l’eau) for our migrating birds? The good news is that you, our Caribbean educators, are helping to do just that. As you join the WMBD campaign, you may request WMBD educational materials by contacting Laura Baboolal, the WMBD Caribbean coordinator at lbaboolal@environmentamericas.org.
EFTA provides posters, stickers, fact sheets, and art and craft materials and more to coordinators hosting WMBD events across Latin American and the Caribbean.
Track Your Migration Miles is a fun activity that helps both kids and adults to learn about wildlife migration. Click on the photo to download the activity.
If you are planning a WMBD event or two (and we hope you are!), you will find useful digital educational resources at: https://trello.com/b/mmiiYE3A/wmbd-2023
BirdsCaribbean will also be featuring WMBD bird species that occur in the Caribbean on our Migratory Bird of the Day webpages (Birds Connect Our World). Our drawings this fall are featuring the art of Christine Elder – naturalist, educator and biological illustrator extraordinaire! Be sure to check out her website and follower on social media!
As in past years, we will provide free downloadable resources, including coloring pages, natural history information, puzzles, photos, videos and activity sheets—we invite you to check it out!
We also encourage you to add your events to the interactive map, so we can see where WMBD activities are taking place throughout the Caribbean: https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/events-map
Add your event to the WMBD 2023 Events Map and let the world know how you will be celebrating in the Caribbean!
How you can celebrate and help migratory birds . . . & we want to see your bird baths!
Celebrate WMBD this fall!
Go birding with your family and friends and see how many migratory birds you can spot. If you’re at a wetland or beach, do a Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Count. Don’t forget to upload your checklists to eBird or eBird Caribbean!
Learn more! Look for a WMBD event happening near you and try to attend. Enjoy and download the many free online resources about migratory birds – see above links. Share what you learn with your friends and family.
Thank about the ways that you can help conserve water – see the handy infographic above and do your part by taking shorter showers, fixing leaky faucets and running toilets, planting a drought-friendly native plant garden, supporting conservation of wetlands, and much more.
Finally, since this year’s theme is Water: Sustaining Bird Life we want to see the best bird baths in your backyards! We’re looking for pretty, funky, fun, and functional watery oases. Bird baths may be ready-made or DIY.
Snap a pic or record a short video and email it to Laura at lbaboolal@environmentamericas.org and/or tag us, @birdscaribbean and @environmentamericas, on social media.
Be sure to include your name, country, and a few sentences about your bird bath—for example, the household materials that were reused to make it, and the variety of birds that visit the bird bath!
All suitable submissions will be shared on the BirdsCaribbean and Environment For The Americas websites and social media accounts.
Hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds are already on the move, and we are getting ready to celebrate World Shorebirds Day 2023! Diverse habitats and food supply make the Caribbean an attractive destination for shorebirds and a veritable birders’ paradise, so why not take part in the Global Shorebird Count this year? BirdsCaribbean has everything you need to help you #ShowUpForShorebirds (and show out!) in the best possible way.
World Shorebirds Day is held every year on September 6. This day celebrates shorebirds, their magnificent migration journeys, and most importantly, raises awareness of the threats they face and actively promotes their monitoring and conservation. The key event associated with this day is the Global Shorebird Count (GSC), September 1-7.
Across the Caribbean (and the entire globe!), groups of birders will be out looking for and counting shorebirds and recording what they find on eBird Caribbean. Some birders will go out in ones and twos; others in small groups. Wherever you are, whoever you are with, or even if you are on your own—we welcome your participation and contribution to citizen science.
This year, we have a special mission for you: we are asking you to do more than one count if possible. Read on to find out why.
Why should you #ShowUpForShorebirds?
The answer is that our migratory shorebirds are more vulnerable than ever, threatened by human activities such as destruction of their habitats, pollution, disturbance, and climate change. Recent analyses show that shorebirds in North America are declining more than any other group of birds; in fact, more than half of 28 species studied were estimated to have lost more than 50% of their abundance in the last 30 years.
Least Sandpiper – a common migrant to the Caribbean; this one has stopped for a rest in St. Maarten (photo by Binkie van Es)
The Caribbean is an important region for migratory shorebirds. They rely on our mangroves, salt ponds, beaches, sand flats, and mud flats to rest and refuel as they continue on their long migrations, or they may spend the entire winter with us.
The Global Shorebird Count helps map the distribution of shorebirds during migration and record their numbers. This data is essential to help us identify and protect key stopover and/or wintering habitats that shorebirds use. Protecting these habitats benefits people too because healthy coastal areas provide vital ecosystem services such as clean water, food, sustainable livelihoods, protection from storm surge, and much more.
Thanks to the great work you all are doing in gathering data through the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) and the Global Shorebird Count, the importance of this region for waterbirds and shorebirds is becoming better understood at a rapid rate. However, scientists are telling us that to further document numbers and long-term trends, more frequent monitoring data are needed, especially during migration. Thus, this year we invite you to visit your nearby shorebird sites and carry out 2 or 3 counts a month during migration season (August-October), ideally a week to 10 days apart. If you’re able to do this, bravo, and thank you! Your efforts will help us learn much more about shorebirds in the Caribbean—you’ll be doubling or tripling your impact for shorebirds.
We can’t do it alone
Individuals, groups and communities must come together to conserve shorebirds and the habitats we both depend upon. This is why we need you to join the GSC to help count shorebirds, invite others, and share how awesome shorebirds are. You may even discover new or rare birds on your islands! Feel free to use our cool graphics to promote World Shorebirds Day (see below), and invite your friends and family to count shorebirds too.
We’ll be here to help you every step of the way.
Grupo Acción Ecológica members counting shorebirds in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino).
Fernando Simal surveying shorebirds. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Proyecto Reverdece tu Comunidad-Working on bird ID during a bird count.
Orisha Joseph and her team counting waterbirds at Belmont Salt Pond, Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Where to find shorebirds?
Where should you look for shorebirds? The simple answer is: anywhere there is water. This means that, as their name suggests, you can find them at the beach and on other types of shorelines. However, some shorebirds will be further inland, including in salt ponds and salinas, freshwater pools, agricultural fields, and at brackish marshes and ponds. Shorebirds will also gather on mud flats, in mangrove areas, and on tidal flats.
Wild Cow Run Beach, Middle Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands (Photo by Craig Watson)
You may not be quite sure of the best places to look in your area. If so, why not take a look for ‘hotspots’ at your local wetlands on eBird. Just click on ‘Explore’ on the eBird Caribbean site, and find ‘Explore Hotspots.’ You can open hotspots on a map and then click on a hotspot to see what types of birds have been seen there recently.
A view across the newly created wetlands and coastline at Walkers Reserve in Barbados. (Photo by Shae Warren, WIRRED)
How to participate in the count
Have an eBird account
eBird Caribbean is a critical tool for tracking and understanding bird migration and population changes—never more so than for our shorebirds. If you do not have an account, it is easy to register—here’s a quick guide to enter eBird data online.Check out our helpful video here on how to use eBird and Merlin.There is even a free eBird Essentials course to get you fully oriented. Download the free mobile app for recording your data in the field. Recording your findings on eBird is not only satisfying and enjoyable, but you are directly contributing to the global knowledge base of birds—what, when, and wherever they are to be found.
If you need help with or have questions about eBird checklists or with setting up an eBird account, do contact Alex Sansom: waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org
Count shorebirds
Visit your local sites where shorebirds occur and do a count. Record all the species you see and/or hear (including other non-shorebird species; see below) and how many individuals of each species. We recommend spending a minimum of 6 to 10 minutes at each site (longer if there are a lot of birds) and scanning the entire area carefully with your binoculars to detect birds, which can easily blend into their surroundings (mud, water, vegetation, etc.). Be sure to record the start time and duration of your count if you’re using a notebook (the ebird mobile app will do this for you). Start a new checklist each time you change locations.
A mixed shorebird flock seen during Roots & Shoots CWC survey, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Miguel Angel Rivera)
Count shorebirds on as many different locations as you can during the Global Shorebird Count period (1-7 Sept). Then, if possible, repeat your counts at these same sites 2 or 3 times a month during fall migration (August through October). Repeated counts will greatly add to our knowledge of shorebird movements and migration patterns!
Note that shorebirds are a type of waterbird. So, any counts you do at wetlands, mangroves, mud flats, coastal areas or beaches at any time of year count as Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) counts. When you do your counts please choose one of the CWC protocols in the eBird app or when you submit or edit your data online. When you are using the mobile app make sure that you are using the eBird Caribbean Portal. To check or change the portal you are using, go into your settings on the app and look for “Portal” and select “eBird Caribbean.”
Each time you complete a checklist, be sure to share it with ebird username worldshorebirdsday. This will ensure that your checklists are included in data analyses for the Global Shorebird Count.
Coral Aviles listing birds on eBird, Blassina Canal Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves)
Rinse and repeat
As mentioned above, we ask that, if possible, do 2 or 3 counts at your local site or sites per month during fall migration(7 to 10 days apart is ideal). Scientists are telling us that we need more data on shorebird migration through the Caribbean, including which species pass through, how many individuals, the timing of each species’ migration, how long they stopover, where they go next, etc. The best way to get this local and regional data is through repeated counts!
Shorebird ID and FREE resources for the field
We know that Shorebirds can be tricky to identify, and some are especially difficult to tell apart. BirdsCaribbean is here to help you with some useful tools! We have a Shorebird Poster and “Quick ID Guide” to get you started as well as handy Shorebird ID cards that you can download and print featuring common shorebirds of the Caribbean.
Shorebird identification can be tricky but with practice and our ‘Quick ID Guide’ it gets easier. (Photo by Kristy Shortte)
We also have a list of some best practice tips to help make your count go as smoothly as possible. You can download and share this infographic with your fellow birders. When you go out on your survey, a spotting scope or a camera with a good zoom lens, as well as binoculars, will make for very helpful tools. They will help you get a closer look to pick out the identifying features of the birds, without disturbing them. Photos can be looked at and shared later if you have any birds that were difficult for you to identify in the field. Birding colleagues and experts can explain further if they have visual evidence of the bird! (Did we say some are quite tricky to tell apart?)
Promotional graphic templates – feel free to modify for your counts
Promotional Graphics for World Shorebirds Day 2023 are available in English, Spanish and French. We also have ‘Global Shorebird Count Tips’ graphic formatted for Facebook or Instagram . You can add your own logos or event information. Click on each image in the gallery below to enlarge then right click on an enlarged image and ‘save image as’ to download. You can also use these links to Canva to use our promotional graphics as a template (each link contains graphics in all three languages):
While counting shorebirds you may see birds with colourful bands on their legs. Do your best to record the band colors and any numbers or letters paying special attention to the location of the band or bands on the bird’s legs. Binoculars or zoom photography may allow you to clearly see the band colors and the numbers engraved onto the band – if you get a photo you will be able to send it along with your sighting. Look out for bands especially on Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. You can report your sightings and send any photos you have to BandedBirds.org and the USGS Bird Banding Lab, which oversee all banding in the United States.
Keep a sharp eye out for Piping Plovers, including banded birds!
There are several different projects banding Piping Plovers and if you see a banded Piping Plover you can report it to the correct person using the information below. This also provides a guide to reading the bands and the information that will be useful to send when you report a banded bird. The tips in this guide are useful for any banded birds you see, not just Piping Plovers! You can find out more about reporting banded Piping Plovers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here. This 1-page guide is available to download as a pdf here. We also have 2-page version with more information for you to use and share here. And a square infographic that you could share on social media here.
Share your shorebird stories
A Cuban birder takes a selfie with his bike at the beach.
Tag us in your photos on social @birdscaribbean and let us know how your counts are going and what you’e finding!
Use the hashtags #ShowUpForShorebirds #WorldShorebirdsDay2023 #GlobalShorebirdCount2023 #CaribShorebirds #DoubleTheImpact
We love looking at photos of shorebirds, your local wetlands, and smiling faces. We will be excited to share your photos and findings on our Global Shorebird Day wrap-up blog! See our 2022 blog here.
If you’ve got little explorers, be sure to download the following activity* sheets and take them with you to the beach:
Beach Scavenger Hunt. This activity is suitable for children ages 4 to 7 years old. They are asked to find plants and animals at the beach.
Beach Bird Bingo. This activity is suitable for children ages 8 to 12 years old. They are asked to find items on the list four in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. They do not need to touch or collect any of the items on the list.
Talk about this with your children before beginning any of the activities. They should not touch or collect items on the lists. When observing birds they should speak softly. They do not need to get close to the birds but if they need to, ask them to do so slowly and quietly. You can check off the items (with a pencil or pen), as they are located. When everyone has had a chance to look for the items listed, come back together to chat about what they were able to find or see. For example, why is the bird’s beak long and straight?
*These activities were not designed to teach a child how to name and identify shorebirds but rather to give them space to explore and feel connected to their natural environment. Parents and guardians, you will not need to worry about your own knowledge of birds or plants. All you need to do is accompany and participate with your child in these activities.
Portada y contraportada de Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba. El Carpintero Verde Cubano, en la portada, es el único representante de los géneros endémicos cubanos que viven en el jardín.
Con casi 500 hectáreas, el Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba ofrece un oasis verde a las aves, a otros animales salvajes y a las personas, en la capital, La Habana. Es conocido por su extensa colección de palmeras, sus muestras etnobotánicas, sus invernaderos y su sereno Jardín Japonés. De noviembre a febrero es un lugar ideal para observar aves migratorias, mientras que algunas de las aves endémicas y autóctonas más emblemáticas de Cuba pueden verse durante todo el año.
La nueva guía de campo “Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba” es la obra más completa, autorizada y actualizada de su género. Hablamos con sus autores, el Dr. Martín Acosta, la Dra. Lourdes Múgica y la MSc. Karen Aguilar, sobre la guía de campo. Nos hablan de la exhaustiva investigación que se llevó a cabo para su creación, de cómo el equipo perseveró a pesar de los numerosos contratiempos, de sus sorprendentes hallazgos y gratos recuerdos en el jardín, y de consejos para los aspirantes a autores de guías de campo.
¿Qué los inspiró a crear una guía de campo para las aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional?
Es una larga historia de amor entre nuestro grupo y las aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional. En 1982 el Dr. Martin Acosta comenzó a tutorear una tesis de licenciatura sobre las aves del jardín, desde entonces se dio cuenta que, con sus casi 500 hectáreas y variada vegetación, era un lugar privilegiado, a pesar de que en ese entonces se detectaron menos de 40 especies. A partir de ahí realizamos varios estudios sobre la ecología de las especies que habitaban las diferentes zonas que conforman el jardín.
Portada de la primera guía de campo de las Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba, publicada en 1990.
Más adelante en 1990 publicamos una pequeña y rústica guía para identificar las aves, contaba con 41 especies, como no teniamos cámara ni forma de obtener las ilustraciones, el Dr. Vicente Berovides, profesor de la Universidad de la Habana, dibujó a mano y con lápiz cada una de las aves, e increíblemente, se lograban identificar. Esa simple guía se vendió rapidamente, con lo cual pudimos constatar que que el público estaba ávido de ese tipo de información.
A partir del año 1990 llega a Cuba el conocido Periodo Especial, con una profunda crisis económica que no nos permitía investigar en las aves acuáticas de las arroceras y humedales naturales, donde centrabamos nuestras investigaciones. Ese hecho dio lugar a que toda nuestra energía y tiempo se enfocara en las aves del jardín, adonde viajábamos en bicicleta desde antes del amanecer para monitorear sus poblaciones y ensambles de aves, o hacer algun estudio de su historia natural y ecología o tutorear a nuestros estudiantes en sus tesis.
Con el tiempo nuestro conocimiento del lugar y compromiso de compartir los resultados fue cada vez mayor. Ambos, Martin y Lourdes pensábamos que nos ibamos a retirar sin cumplir ese sueño, pues no contábamos con fondos para garantizar escritura, edición, diseño e impresión de un libro. Aún sin los fondos, pero con todo el conocimiento acumulado de mas de 30 años, en 2019 logramos el impulso final, cuando la Dra. Banessa Falcón, Directora de Docencia e Investigación del Jardín Botánico Nacional, nos insiste en la importancia de lograr ese libro y la MSc Karen Aguilar se une a los autores para contribuir de forma voluntaria con el diseño, la fotografia y todo lo que hiciera falta.
De igual forma la Lic. Neyda Izquierdo, Premio Nacional de Edición en Cuba, realizó la edición de forma gratuita. Por otra parte la Dra. Banessa Falcón, nos apoyó a trabajar en el libro desde sus comienzos y fue nuestra editora científica por la parte botánica.
Karen y Lourdes viajaron en bicicleta al jardín casi todos los días hasta que el libro estuvo terminado.
De esta manera, logramos reunir un fantástico equipo, con el cual el trabajo se convirtió en un constante intercambio de ideas entre personas maravillosas que le dedicaron numerosas horas a garantizar la calidad de los textos en tiempos de pandemia. En fin, que es una obra colectiva, llena de amor, de compromiso y de ciencia.
Hoy día, con 55 años el jardín cuenta con un ensamble de aves que se ha triplicado en diversidad, como respuesta al desarrollo adquirido por la vegetación, hasta el momento 128 especies, (tres de ellas despues de publicar el libro) han sido registradas en él, por lo cual, este grupo de vertebrados se encuentra entre sus mayores atractivos.
Sin dudas, este era el gran momento para traer a la luz la obra que pareció ser una utopía durante mucho tiempo, la cual nos permite valorar la importancia que puede tener un sitio antrópico bien manejado sobre la conservación de las aves, además de generalizar los resultados obtenidos en numerosas investigaciones de campo, que pueden ser útiles para otros jardines botánicos en Cuba y en el mundo.
¿En qué se diferencia esta guía de guías de aves cubanas?
Se diferencia en varios aspectos:
Es la primera guía de aves cubanas elaborada totalmente con fotografías de aves, las guías que existen en la actualidad están basadas en ilustraciones.
La mayor diferencia está en que incluye los close ups de las cabezas de la mayoría de las especies de aves (85%), que permiten apreciar detalles importantes que no son visibles en fotos generales o dibujos.
En el capítulo cuatro de la guía de campo, cada familia tiene una imagen general con las principales características de la familia y, a continuación, se presentan todas las especies de la familia. Cada especie tiene entre dos y seis fotos; los iconos y el texto completan las descripciones.
Es la primera guía que dedica un capítulo a esclarecer la interdependencia entre el desarrollo de las comunidades vegetales y los ensambles de aves que las utilizan, además de dar a conocer diferentes aspectos de la ecología de algunas poblaciones notables . En otro capítulo se estimula la observación de aves en la sociedad cubana y se ofrecen informaciones para su mejor desarrollo.
En el capítulo tres, los autores promueven la observación de aves y dan consejos sobre cómo atraerlas a su jardín. En esta página se destacan varias estructuras vegetales por el impacto que pueden tener en las aves y los recursos que pueden ofrecer.
Es una guía basada en los resultados científicos originales obtenidos por los autores durante más de 30 años, no en una recopilación bibliográfica, e incluye un capítulo donde se expresan muchos de ellos.
En el capítulo dos se presentan los resultados ecológicos publicados y recopilados por los autores durante más de 30 años en el jardín.
La incorporacion de recuadros dentro del texto de los capítulos generales resulta también novedoso en Cuba y permitió profundizar en elementos científicos vinculados al tema tratado y obtenidos por los autores en este jardín botánico.
Se enfoca en una institución de conservación ex situ dedicada fundamentalmente a la conservación de las plantas, con lo cual se une a un pequeño grupo de jardines botánicos en el mundo que cuentan con una guía de aves.
En el capítulo de la Guía de Campo se lograron presentar las 125 especies con 473 fotos. Aunque los autores cubrieron 70 %, el resto se debió a la desinteresada colaboración de 52 fotógrafos cubanos y extranjeros, por lo que es un resultado de la solidaridad en bien de la conservación.
En sus primeros meses de publicación ha obtenido un premio nacional del Instituto Cubano del Libro (Primer Premio de la Crítica Científico Técnica 2022 y el Premio de la Universidad de la Habana al Mejor Libro Científico de Ciencias Naturales en el año. Es la primera guía de aves cubana que logra estos reconocimientos dentro del país.
Háblanos de los autores- ¿Como contribuyó cada uno?
Fotografiar sujetos en movimiento no es fácil, pero Karen perseveró.
Martin y Lourdes tuvieron la idea general de escribir una guía de aves desde 1990, cuando publicaron una primera versión, mucho más simple. Ambos contribuyeron con su larga experiencia, sus datos de campo, y los resultados de las publicaciones. Ellos hicieron la mayor parte del texto, el trabajo de campo y la revisión exaustiva de cada versión. Martín aportó numerosas fotografías, Lourdes muy pocas, creo que un par de ellas.
Karen diseño el libro, aportó la mayor parte de la fotografía, para lo cual le dedicó numerosas horas al trabajo de campo durante el proceso de elaboración del libro e hizo el procesamiento de las imágenes para el capítulo de la guía. Tambien escribío algunos recuadros generales.
Los tres autores mantuvieron una estrecha colaboración e intercambio durante los dos años y medio en que se trabajó intensamente en el libro. Además participaron activamente en la revisión final de los textos, de conjunto con la editora general y la editora científica.
¿Cuánta investigación ustedes necesitaron hacer para escribir esta guía de campo?
Esa es una buena pregunta, porque nunca trabajamos para hacer una guía de campo, trabajamos para contribuir al conocimiento de la historia natural de las aves que viven en el jardin, y mientras más aprendimos, más preguntas surgían. Así realizamos trabajos de reproducción, territorialidad, alimentación, dispersión de semillas, y composición y estructura del ensamble de aves asociado a algunos tipos de vegetación. Todos han sido de gran utilidad para escribir el libro.
Las aves utilizaban el agua del jardín para mantener sus plumas y satisfacer las demandas diarias, así como el comportamiento anual de muda en diferentes especies de aves.Tras una exhaustiva investigación, los autores descubrieron que el jardín puede satisfacer las diversas necesidades de las aves: alimento, refugio y seguridad.
Lo que si podemos decir es que no es suficiente saber la lista de aves que se han registrado en un sitio, se necesitan años de observaciones, numerosas horas de trabajo de campo y estudiar aspectos esenciales de la ecología de las especies de aves que alli habitan, para así contribuir a su conocimiento de forma más efectiva.
Martin cerrando una red de niebla en el jardín. La red de niebla es una herramienta esencial para el inventario de especies, proporciona índices útiles de abundancia relativa y puede utilizarse para seguir las tendencias temporales de abundancia.
¿Que parte de la creación de la guía de campo – escribir, fotografiar, diseñar o editar- fue más difícil de lograr y un mayor reto para completer el libro?
La fotografía y el diseño fueron los grandes desafíos de este libro. La fotografía, porque nos propusimos una guía basada totalmente en fotos, y completar las fotos de 125 especies, en la que muchas de ellas eran raras o difíciles de fotografiar por su comportamiento, como por ejemplo los insectívoros aéreos, era realmente un reto mayor.
Martin y Karen tomando fotos en el jardín.
El diseño porque fue el primer trabajo de diseño de Karen, por lo que asumir esa tarea implicó largas horas de estudio intenso. Ambos retos fueron vencidos exitosamente.
Martin y Karen hablan de modelos de cámaras y técnicas para conseguir las mejores fotos.
En general fue un reto que tanto la escritura como el diseño fueran atractivos para un público muy amplio que queríamos que incluyera a niños, jóvenes y adultos, observadores de aves y especialistas en el tema.
¿Que los ayudó a mantenerse enfocados en un Proyecto tan largo?
En primer lugar el amor a las aves y conocer la importancia de lograr un libro como este que puede tener un gran impacto en la población y una contribución importante a su conservación. Poco a poco nos dimos cuenta de que el jardin puede contribuir y mucho a que la población conozca nuestras aves, y aprecie no solo su belleza sino todos los servicios ecológicos que prestan.
No es fácil visitar nuestras áreas protegidas, porque se encuentran en zonas aisladas de dificil acceso y poca transportación, sin embargo, el Jardín Botánico Nacional es un sitio cercano a la Habana (solo unos 30 km o 18 millas) y es muy visitado por la población de la ciudad.
En segundo lugar el trabajo de equipo que fue fabuloso y estimulante y nos mantuvo unidos y trabajando duro de principio a fin. Cada foto lograda, cada capítulo terminado, cada especie completada, fue un logro que disfrutamos ampliamente y nos mantuvo entusiasmados para alcanzar la próxima meta.
¿Qué fue lo que más les sorprendió aprender durante la elaboración de esta guía de campo?
Aprendimos cosas importantes, relacionadas tanto con las aves, como con la perseverancia y la fuerza de lograr nuestras metas.
En cuanto a las aves nos impresionó la belleza y complejidad de la cabeza de las aves, los close ups pusieron en evidencia detalles que no se capturan con los binoculares, ni con la fotografía de cuerpo completo.
Otro cosa que nos sorprendió fue el importante papel que juega el algodonero rojo (Bombax ceiba) en los meses de pricipios de año, cuando muy pocas plantas florecen en el jardín. En enero y febrero este árbol se cubre de flores de color rojo intenso y con él se asocian numerosas aves, pero no sólo en busca de insectos, néctar y polen, lo más sorprendente es que las flores acumulan gran cantidad de agua y las aves las utilizan como fuentes naturales, para saciar la sed, en estos meses de seca intensa.
En la parte superior de la página de la izquierda se puede ver a un Herrerillo de cara amarilla buscando agua en la flor de un Algodonero de seda roja; en la parte inferior, en el mismo árbol, un Mirlo cubano busca agua o insectos en las flores.
Para Martin y Lourdes no fue difícil escribir el texto, conocían bien el lugar, las aves y ya habían pasado la experiencia de trabajar en otros libros. Pero para Karen el reto fue inmenso, no sabía de diseño, ni de fotografía ni era capaz de reconocer las aves. Estos coconocimientos eran indispensables para completar el libro.
Eso implicó numerosas horas de auto estudio para aprender a trabajar los programas CorelDraw, Photoshop, e inDesign, tomar cursos de fotografia, estudiar el contenido de las principales guías de aves que se han publicado en América, aprender el estilo particular de brindar la información en las guías de campo, y al mismo tiempo, realizar constantes visitas al campo para tomar fotografias, aprender a reconocer las aves, y trabajar en el libro. Todo en tiempos de pandemias con numerosas limitaciones económicas en el país.
¿Tienen alguna historia simpática que les haya ocurrido durante la elaboración del libro que puedan compartir ?
Hubo muchas historias. Al principio karen dijo que quería que la guía fuera con fotos, para que aportara algo diferente con respecto a otras guías cubanas. Cuando intentó tomar sus primeras fotos, a un sinsonte y un gorrión, después de mucho esfuerzo, no logró ni una foto con su lente, en ese momento se dio cuenta que el camino iba a ser largo, difícil y que le faltaba mucho por aprender.
Recuerdo cuando fuimos al zoológico a tirarle fotos a las garzas que permitieran obtener sus close ups. Las garzas querian dormir y bajaban la cabeza con los ojos cerrados, no había manera de que levantaran la cabeza para tirar las fotos, le gritábamos desaforadamente y en el momento que despertaban Karen tiraba la foto, las personas pasaban y nos miraban como si estuviéramos locas con aquellos gritos, realmente nos reimos mucho.
Otro día Karen se fue sola en moto para el jardín a tirar fotos, al entrar ve un grupo de perritos cruzando la cerca y para la moto para disfrutarlos, pues los perritos le cayeron atrás y pasó buen susto, tuvo que correr a toda velocidad para que no la mordieran.
¿Cuánto tiempo les tomó completar la guía de campo?
Comenzamos en junio de 2019, el libro estuvo listo para imprimir en enero de 2022. Pero durante la covid tuvimos una interrupción de unos 6 meses en que estuvimos totalmente aislados sin comunicación, porque no todos los celulares que teniamos los autores servian para usar el internet y sin poder salir, o sea dos años aproximadamente.
Cuando finalmente logramos comunicación entre todos establecimos un método de trabajo que permitió avanzar relativamente rápido. A la misma vez que se iba avanzando en el texto, se trabajaba en el diseño, realizábamos visitas constantes al jardín, y le dedicábamos tiempo a buscar fotografías donde se reflejara lo que explicábamos en el texto y con lo cual actualizábamos la información.
De hecho, hasta 2019 cuando comenzamos a trabajar en el libro, se habian registrado 105 especies de aves, en 2022 ya ese número habia subido a 125.
Una vez terminada la obra, comenzamos a buscar fondos para la impresión, que finalmente fueron aportados por un proyecto de PNUD, logramos tener los primeros 300 ejemplares en noviembre de ese mismo año.
¿Cómo celebró la finalización de la guía de campo?
Los cinco, los tres autores y los dos editores estábamos tan felices, no podiamos creer que lo habiamos logrado, cuando vimos las primeras pruebas de impresión la emoción fue inmensa, lo celebramos pasando tiempo juntos y compartiendo las vivencias de cada uno.
¿Cuántas aves endémicas viven en el jardín?
De las 27 especies endémicas vivientes que hay en Cuba 10 se han registrado en el jardín y 12 de las 20 reportadas para las Indias occidentales, lo que hace un total de 22 especies dentro de esta categoría.
En el libro aparecen 9 endémicas de Cuba, pero recientemente se registró por primera vez el Tocororo con lo que se suma uno más.
¿Cuales son los mejores recuerdos que ustedes tienen observando las aves del jardín?
Cada vez que visitamos el jardín lo disfrutamos tanto, encontramos algo nuevo, un comportamiento diferente, en fin es difícil de decir. Por ejemplo, ver la salida del sol y el despertar de los pájaros, ver por primera vez la Cartacuba, ave típica de nuestros bosques bien conservados nos pareció increible y recientemente, acabamos de observar el Tocororo.
El ave nacional de Cuba: el trogón cubano. (Foto de Rafy Rodríguez)
Recuerdo una ocasión en que empezó a llover, y tuvimos que tirar las fotos bajo la sombrilla para proteger la cámara, ese día registramos dos especies nuevas y logramos varias fotos de calidad para el libro, estábamos eufóricos!
Registrar una nueva especie siempre fue una fiesta para nosotros, lograr una foto que necesitábamos, con calidad y realizando una actividad que mencionábamos en el texto, ya era otra fiesta, puedo decir que los tres disfrutamos ampliamente cada visita, que en esos dos años fueron más de 60.
¿Donde se puede comprar esta guía en Cuba?
Hasta el momento no ha estado a la venta. La primera impresión ha sido muy corta con una alta demanda. Se ha usado para promocionar el libro y se ha utilizado como premio en concursos, festivales, se ha entregado a fotógrafos destacados de naturaleza, decisores, y algunas bibliotecas.
La segunda impresión que se realizará gracias al Betty Peterson Fund obtenido en el año actual debe dar la posibilidad de que se venda en el Jardín Botánico Nacional o en la Librería de la Universidad de la Habana, Alma Mater, en la Ciudad de la Habana.
¿Como se puede obtener una copia fuera de Cuba?
Esperamos poder vender el libro a través del sitio web de BirdsCaribbean.
¿Ustedes tienen en plan elaborar una versión de la guía en idioma Inglés?
Nos encantaría tener una version en Inglés y la idea es buscar fondos en el futuro para la traducción, diseño y revisión.
¿Qué le diría a un observador de aves que esté pensando en publicar su propia guía de campo?
Sigue adelante, no te detengas, trabaja duro, visita el sitio todas las veces que puedas, registra especies, comportamientos, fechas y lugares. Cuando recopiles suficiente información, busca un buen team y a estudiar y trabajar juntos. Una buena guía de campo es una obra colectiva, que puede ayudar a las aves y a las personas.
Nosotros hemos vivido siempre en un país pobre y bajo un fuerte bloqueo, con pocos recursos, poco transporte, problemas de comunicación y con elevada migración de personal joven. Si nosotros lo logramos, cualquiera que se lo proponga y le ponga empeño, constancia y amor lo va a lograr también.
Nuestros pequeños paises caribeños necesitan conocer su patrimonio natural, y estar conscientes primero de lo que tenemos, para que luego tomen conciencia de la responsabilidad de cada uno en cuidarlo y que todos podemos contribuir de alguna manera a su conservación. Libros como este son el primer paso a dar, el conocimiento conlleva apreciación, la apreciación es un paso importante para la conservación.
Puedes y debes.
Los tres autores del libro, de izquierda a derecha, Karen Aguilar Mugica, licenciada en Geografía, Martin Acosta Cruz PhD. y Lourdes Mugica Valdés PhD, ambos ornitólogos del Grupo de Ecología de Aves de la Universidad de La Habana. Karen es voluntaria del grupo desde hace varios años.
Los doctores Lourdes Mugica Valdés y Martín Acosta Cruz son profesores de la Facultad de Biología de la Universidad de La Habana (Cuba). Imparten tanto cursos formales de ecología como en los programas de investigación y educación ambiental de la facultad. Junto con Karen Aguilar Mugica, son miembros del galardonado Grupo de Ecología de las Aves (BEG) de la Universidad de La Habana. El BEG es ampliamente reconocido por su contribución al conocimiento de la ecología de las aves acuáticas cubanas. Además, son miembros y amigos de BirdsCaribbean desde hace mucho tiempo.
Front and back covers of Birds of the National Botanic Garden of Cuba. The Cuban Green Woodpecker, on the front cover, is the only representative of the Cuban endemic genera living in the garden.
At almost 500 hectares, the National Botanical Garden of Cuba offers a green oasis to birds, other wildlife, and people, in the capital city of Havana. It is well known for its extensive collection of palm trees, ethno-botanical displays, greenhouses, and serene Japanese Garden. From November to February it is an ideal place to see migratory birds, while some of Cuba’s iconic endemic and native birds can be seen year-round.
The new field guide “Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba” (Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba) is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date work of its kind. We speak with the dedicated authors Dr. Martin Acosta, Dr. Lourdes Mugica, and MSc. Karen Aguilar, about the field guide. They share the extensive research that went into its creation, how the team persevered through numerous setbacks, their surprising finds and fond memories at the garden, and advice for aspiring field guide authors.
What inspired you to create a field guide to Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba?
It is a long love story between our group and the birds of the National Botanical Garden. In 1982, Dr. Martin Acosta began tutoring an undergraduate’s thesis on the garden’s birds. Since then, he realized that, with its almost 500 hectares and varied vegetation, it was a privileged place, despite the fact that at that time less than 40 species were detected. From there we carried out and published several studies on the ecology of the species that inhabited the different areas that make up the garden.
Cover of the first field guide to the Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba, published in 1990.
Later, in 1990, we published a short rustic guide to identify the 41 birds we had recorded at the garden. As we had no camera or way to obtain the illustrations, Dr. Vicente Berovides, Professor at the University of Havana, drew each of the birds by hand with pencil. Incredibly, his drawings were good enough to identify the birds! That simple guide sold out quickly, so very early we could appreciate that the public was eager to get this kind of information.
From the year 1990, the well-known Special Period arrived in Cuba, with a deep economic crisis that did not allow us to travel to the field and investigate the waterfowl of the rice fields and natural wetlands that were the main focus of our research in that period. That fact resulted in all our energy and time being focused on the birds of the garden, where we traveled by bicycle from before dawn to monitor their bird populations and assemblages, to do several ecological studies, and to assist our students in their undergraduate theses.
Over time our knowledge of the place and commitment to sharing our results were increasing. Both Martin and Lourdes thought that we were going to retire without fulfilling the dream of having a book for the general public. At the time we did not have any funds to guarantee writing, editing, design, and printing. Even without the funds, but with all the accumulated knowledge of more than 30 years, in 2019 we got the final push when Dr. Banessa Falcón, Director of Teaching and Research of the National Botanical Garden, insisted on the importance of achieving this book. Karen joined the authors to contribute voluntarily with the design, photography, and anything else that was needed.
Similarly, Neyda Izquierdo, winner of the National Publishing Award in Cuba, edited the book free of charge. Additionally, Dr. Banessa Falcón, supported us in working on the book from its inception and was our scientific editor for the botanical topics.
Karen and Lourdes traveled by bike to the garden almost every day until the book was completed.
In this way, we managed to assemble a fantastic team, with whom the work became a constant exchange of ideas between wonderful people, who dedicated many hours to ensure the quality of the text in the pandemic times. In the end, it was a collective work, full of love, commitment, science, and fun!
Today, within 55 years, the garden has an assemblage of birds that has tripled in diversity in response to the vegetation development. So far 128 species, (three of them after publishing the book) have been registered, so this group of vertebrates is among its greatest attractions.
Undoubtedly, this was the great moment to bring to light the work that seemed to be just a dream for so long. Our research shows the importance that a well-managed anthropogenic (man-made) site can have for the conservation of birds. In addition, we hope that this field guide may be a useful model to other botanical gardens in Cuba and the world.
How is this field guide different from other Cuban bird guides?
It differs in several aspects:
It is the first Cuban bird guide made entirely with photographs of birds; the guides that currently exist in Cuba are based on illustrations.
The biggest difference is that it includes closeup images of the heads of most bird species (85%), which allow you to appreciate important details that are not visible in general photos or drawings.
In Chapter Four of the field guide, each family has a general picture with the main characteristics of the family and then, all the species within the family are presented. Each species has between two to six pictures; icons and text complete the descriptions.
It is the first guide that dedicates a chapter to the interdependence between the development of plant communities and the assemblages of birds that use them, in addition to revealing different aspects of the ecology of some notable populations. The guide also includes a chapter that encourages bird watching in Cuban society and offers strategies for its development.
In Chapter Three, the authors promote birdwatching and give advice on how to attract birds to your garden. In this page several vegetation structures are highlighted because of the impact they may have on birds and the resources they can offer.
It is a field guide based on the original scientific results obtained by the authors from more than 30 years of research, not on a bibliographic compilation, and it includes a chapter where many of these results are shared.
In Chapter Two, the published ecological results collected by the authors for over 30 years at the garden are presented.
The incorporation of informational boxes within the text of the general chapters is also new in Cuban bird guides. They offer a deeper understanding of the scientific elements, and were obtained by the authors in this botanical garden.
The book focuses on an ex situ conservation institution, dedicated primarily to the conservation of plants, which now joins a small group of botanical gardens around the world that have their own bird guide.
In the Field Guide chapter, 125 species are presented with 473 photos. Although the authors provided 70% of the pictures, the rest are from the selfless collaboration of 52 Cuban and foreign photographers, so this guide is a result of solidarity for the good of conservation.
Soon after the guide was published, we received a national award from the Cuban Book Institute (First Prize for Technical Scientific Criticism 2022) and the Prize for Best Scientific Book of Natural Sciences from the University of Havana. It is the first Cuban bird guide to achieve these recognitions within the country.
Tell us about your team of authors—how did each contribute?
Taking photos of moving subjects is not easy but Karen persevered.
Martin and Lourdes had the general idea of writing a bird guide since 1990, when we first published a much simpler version. Both of us contributed with our long experience, field data, and results from published studies. We wrote most of the text, and did the exhaustive revision of each version. Martin also contributed numerous photographs that are used in the field guide.
But it was Karen who designed the book and supplied most of the photos. She spent many hours doing fieldwork during the book’s development, and processed the images for the guide. She also wrote some informational boxes.
The three authors worked closely and intensively during the two and a half years it took to complete the book. We also actively participated in the final revision of the text, together with the general and scientific editors.
How much research did you need to do for this field guide?
That’s a good question, because we never worked to make a field guide, we worked to contribute to the knowledge of the natural history of the birds that live in the garden, and the more we learned, the more questions arose. So we carried out research on reproduction, territoriality, feeding, seed dispersal, and composition and structure of the assembly of birds associated with some types of vegetation. The findings have all been very useful in writing the book.
The birds used the water from the garden to maintain their feathers and meet daily demands, as well as the annual molting behavior in different bird species.
After extensive research, the authors found that the garden can meet the birds’ diverse needs: food, shelter and security.
What we can say is that it is not enough to know the list of birds that have been recorded in a site. It takes years of observations, and countless hours of fieldwork, to study essential aspects of the ecology of the species of birds that live there to contribute to their knowledge more effectively.
Martin closing a mist net at the garden. Mist netting is an essential tool for species inventory, provides useful indices of relative abundance, and can be used to track temporal trends in abundance.
What part of creating this field guide—writing, photographing, designing and editing—did you have the hardest time with or find most challenging?
Photography and design were the biggest challenges of this book. Photography, because we set out to create a guide based entirely on photos, and getting good-quality photos of 125 species, many of which are rare or difficult to photograph because of their behavior, such as aerial insectivores, was really a major challenge. At the end all species have photos and each species identification page has between 2 to 6 photos.
Martin and Karen taking photos in the garden.
Martin and Karen talk about camera models and techniques to get the best photos.
The design was challenging because it was Karen’s first design job, so taking on that task involved long hours of intense work. Both challenges were successfully overcome.
In general, it was challenging to achieve our goal that both the writing and the design were attractive to a very wide audience, including children, young people, adults, birdwatchers, and specialists in the subject.
What helped you to stay focused on such a large project?
First of all, the love of birds. Knowing that a book like this can have a great impact on Cubans and contribute to bird conservation also motivated us. Little by little, we realized that the garden can contribute a lot to local knowledge and the appreciation of birds, helping people to value not only their beauty, but also all the ecological services they provide.
Secondly, it is not easy to visit our protected areas because they are located in isolated areas that are difficult to access and transportation is scarce. However, the National Botanical Garden is situated close to Havana (only about 30 km or 18 miles) and can be easily visited by the population of the city.
Finally the teamwork, which was fabulous and exhilarating. It kept us together and working hard from start to finish. Every photo achieved, every chapter completed, every species completed, was an achievement we thoroughly enjoyed and it kept us excited to reach the next goal.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating this field guide?
We learned important things related both to the birds, as well as to perseverance and the strength we have to achieve our goals.
As for the birds, we were impressed by the beauty and complexity of the birds’ heads—the close-up photos highlighted details that are not captured with binoculars or full-body photography.
Another thing that surprised us was the important role played by the Red Silk Cotton Tree (Bombax ceiba) in the early months of the year, when very few plants bloom in the garden. In January and February, this tree is covered with beautiful red flowers and numerous birds are attracted to them, but not only in search of insects, nectar and pollen. The most surprising thing is that the flowers accumulate a lot of water, and the birds use them as natural sources, to quench their thirst, in these months of intense dryness.
At the top of the left-hand page you can see a Yellow-faced Grassquit looking for water in a Red Silk Cotton tree flower; at the bottom, in the same tree, a Cuban Blackbird looks for water or insects in the flowers.
For Martin and Lourdes, it was not difficult to write the text, they knew the site and the birds well and already had the experience of working on other books. But for Karen the challenge was immense, she did not know about design, nor photography, nor was she able to recognize the bird species. All this knowledge was necessary to complete the book.
That involved numerous hours of self-study to learn how to work CorelDraw, Photoshop, and InDesign programs. So Karen took photography courses, studied the content of the main bird guides that have been published in America, and learned the particular style of providing the information in the field guides. At the same time, she made frequent visits to the field to take photographs, and learn to recognize the birds, and she kept working on the book every single day during those years.
Any fun stories to share during the process of writing, photographing, design, and editing?
There were many stories. At first Karen said she wanted the guide to be with photos, so that it would bring something different from other Cuban guides. When she tried to take her first photos, a mockingbird and a sparrow, after much effort, she did not achieve anything with her lens—at that moment she realized that the road was going to be long, difficult, and that she had a lot to learn.
I remember when we went to the zoo to take close-up pictures of the herons. They were asleep with their heads lowered and eyes closed. Yelling at them was the only way to wake them up. We shouted wildly and the moment they woke up Karen took the photo very fast. People passing by looked at us as we were screaming at the herons and by the looks on their faces, they thought we were crazy. We really laughed a lot.
Another day, Karen went alone on a motorcycle to the garden to take photos. When entering the garden, she saw a group of puppies crossing the fence and stopped the motorcycle to play with them. But the puppies ran after her which gave her a good scare. She had to run so they wouldn’t bite her.
How long did it take to complete the field guide?
We started in June 2019, the book was ready to print in January 2022. During Covid we had an interruption of about six months in which we were totally isolated without communication, (not all in the team had a good cellular phone to use the internet), and without the possibility to visit each other as we were not able to meet. So we would say that it took approximately two intense years to complete the book.
When the lockdown restrictions were lifted, we established a method of working that allowed us to advance relatively quickly, because at the same time that we were advancing in the text, we worked on the design. We made constant visits to the garden, looking for photographs that helped us explain the text, and with those visits we were constantly updating the information.
In fact, up to 2019, when we started working, 105 species had been registered; in 2022 that number had already risen to 125.
How did you celebrate when the field guide was completed?
The five of us, three authors and two editors, were so happy, we could not believe that we had finished the book. When we saw the first print proof the emotion was immense! We celebrated it by spending time together and sharing each of our experiences.
How many endemic birds live in the garden?
Of the 27 living endemic species in Cuba, 10 are found in the garden; and also 12 of the 20 species reported as endemic for the West Indies—making a total of 22 species in this category.
In the book we report on nine Cuban endemics, but recently the Cuban Trogon was recorded for the first time at the garden!
What is one of your fondest memories of birding in the Botanical Garden?
Every time we visit the garden we enjoy it so much and we learn something new about the behavior of the birds so it is difficult to say. For example, seeing the sunrise and the awakening of the birds, seeing for the first time the Cuban Tody, a typical bird of our well-preserved forests, seemed incredible to us, and recently, we just observed the Cuban Trogon for the first time!
The national bird of Cuba- the Cuban Trogon. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
I remember one time when it started to rain, and we had to place the camera under the umbrella to take the photos. That day we registered two new species and got several quality photos for the book, it was unforgettable!
Recording a new species and getting a quality photo that we needed, of a bird doing an activity that we mentioned in the text, was always exciting to us. I can say that the three of us thoroughly enjoyed each visit, which in those last two years amounted to more than 60.
Where in Cuba can someone purchase this field guide?
Right now it is not for sale. We have a small first batch of just 300 printed books and very high demand. The first copies have been used to promote the book and they have been given as a prizes in competitions and festivals, as well as gifted to outstanding nature photographers, decision-makers, and some libraries.
The second printing will be made this year, thanks to a grant from the Betty Peterson Conservation Fund from BirdsCaribbean. We are thinking of selling copies from this second batch at the National Botanical Garden or in the Library of the University of Havana, Alma Mater, in the City of Havana.
How can someone outside of Cuba get their own copy?
We hope to eventually sell the book through BirdsCaribbean’s website.
Do you plan on providing an English translated version of this field guide?
We would love to have an English version and the idea is to seek funding in the future for translation, design, and proofreading.
What would you say to a birder who is thinking of publishing his own field guide?
Keep going, never stop, work hard, visit the site as many times as you can, and record species, behaviors, dates and places. When you gather enough information, find a good team and work together. A good field guide is a collective work, which can help birds and people.
We have always lived in a poor country under a strong blockade, with few resources, little transportation, lots of communication problems, and high migration of young personnel. If we could succeed, then anyone who proposes a project like this and puts in the effort, perseverance, and love will succeed too.
Our small Caribbean countries need to know their natural heritage, and be aware first of what we have, so that later they become aware of the responsibility of each one in taking care of it. We all can contribute in some way to conservation. Books like this are the first step to take—knowledge brings appreciation, appreciation is an important step for conservation.
You can, you should.
The three authors of the book, from left to right, Karen Aguilar Mugica, MSc in Geography, Martin Acosta Cruz PhD. and Lourdes Mugica Valdés PhD, both ornithologists from the Bird Ecology Group of the University of Havana. Karen has been a volunteer with the group for several years.
Drs. Lourdes Mugica Valdés and Martin Acosta Cruz are Professors at the University of Havana’s Faculty of Biology in Cuba. They teach both formal ecology courses and in the faculty’s research and environmental education programs. They, along with Karen Aguilar Mugica, are members of the University of Havana’s award-winning Bird Ecology Group (BEG). The BEG is widely recognised for its contribution to our knowledge of Cuban waterbird ecology. They are, moreover, long-standing members and friends of BirdsCaribbean.
If you like listening to birds then you’re going to love this new challenge created by the bird app extraordinaires at eBird.
You’re invited to participate in the first-ever eBird Sound Recording Challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean!
The Sound Recording Challenge is a great opportunity to upgrade your gear and is open to participants in the Caribbean and Latin America.
The challenge runs until August 31st, and here’s what you need to do:
Head outside
Listen to the birds around you
Use your cell phone or other recording gear to record the songs and/or calls of nearby birds*
Upload recordings of 20 or more bird species to eBird to have a chance to win a fantastic prize
*Note that it is not necessary that your recordings are during the challenge period—they can be recordings that you have previously made anywhere in Latin America or the Caribbean.
THE PRIZE:
A BRAND NEW SOUND RECORDING KIT!!!! The kit includes a Zoom F1 recorder and a Synco microphone. Our eardrums are tingling just thinking of the crisp audio quality you can get with this fantastic combo.
But you must follow these rules for your recordings to qualify:
Uncompressed files (WAV type)
Duration of more than 10 seconds
Add at least some metadata, like: age/sex, additional species heard, behaviors, equipment used to record, other sounds.
The former Antillean Euphonia has been split into three new Euphonia species! (Photo by Bobby Wilcox-ML532706381)
Get out your binoculars and plan a Caribbean birding adventure because we’ve got five new species of birds for you!
The American Ornithological Society has just announced their 64th Supplement to the Checklist of North American Birds. Every year, ornithologists and birders alike eagerly peruse their current bird lists and wait for the announcement of new bird species! Usually, these new species don’t arise from a remote jungle expedition, but by re-examining the differences and similarities within our current species lists.
Species can either be “lumped” or “split.” Lumps occur when two similar species are lumped back together and considered one species again. This is usually the case for very similar birds that have overlapping ranges. “Splits” are when one species is divided into two or more different species. These splits usually include birds that may look alike but evidence suggests have diverged sufficiently that their populations would no longer interbreed.
We are very excited to welcome these new bird species to the Caribbean—bringing us now to a total of 180 endemic bird species. Our Caribbean birding hotspot just got even hotter, giving you all the more reason to plan your next Caribbean birding adventure!
The joys of isolation…
Within the Caribbean, we have many species that occur across multiple islands, but don’t island hop–making these isolated populations. Over time, as these bird populations continue to breed in isolation from one another, they can develop differences, and even evolve into distinct species! By reviewing evidence, including genetics, morphology, plumage, vocalizations, and behaviors; ornithologists can determine if the populations are in fact distinct enough to be considered different species.
This year we are very excited to announce that we have five new species for the Caribbean! These species all fall under the category of splits (there were 4), meaning they were formerly considered one species and are now considered two or more! Let’s review the newest members of the flock.
*Drum roll*…welcoming five new Caribbean species!
Grand Cayman Bullfinch and Cuban Bullfinch
Let’s give a warm welcome to a new bullfinch species in the Caribbean, the Grand Cayman Bullfinch (Melopyrrha taylori)! This species was split from the Cuban Bullfinch(Melopyrrha nigra) due to vocal and morphological differences. The Cuban Bullfinch can now proudly boast that it is a true Cuban endemic, and the Grand Cayman islands have their second endemic bird species. Interestingly, the research supporting the split came from a birdwatcher’s observations of song differences between birds on Cuba and Grand Cayman! This show the value of citizen scientist birders being observant and uploading their information to apps like eBird (sightings, photos, and recordings of songs and calls).
Cuban Bullfinch, female. Females and juveniles are duller black and have a less prominent wing patch (Photo by Mario Olteanu)
Grand Cayman Bullfinch, female. Her color is dull slate-black tinged with olive. (Photo by Ray Robles)
The male Cuban Bullfinch is glossy black with white wing patches. It’s bill is a little smaller than the Grand Cayman Bullfinch. (Photo by Greg Lavaty)
The male Grand Cayman Bullfinch is black with a greenish gloss and has white wing patches on shoulders; its bill is slightly larger and heavier than the Cuban Bullfinch. (Photo by Aaron-Boone, ML151327701)
Hispaniolan Nightjar and Cuban Nightjar
Let’s give a warm welcome to two new species of nightjar! The bird formerly known as the Greater Antillean Nightjar (Antrostomus cubanensis) has now been split into the Hispaniolan Nightjar(Antrostomus ekmani) and Cuban Nightjar (Antrostomus cubanensis), based on convincing vocal differences between the two populations. The Hispaniolan Nightjar is found in the western third of the Dominican Republic and the western part of the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti. The Cuban Nightjar is found throughout the island of Cuba.
Hispaniolan Nightjar. (Photo by Dax Román)
Cuban Nightjar. (Photo by Greg Griffith, ML204321841)
Listen to the difference in the songs of the Hispaniolan Nightjar and Cuban Nightjar!
From one to three new Euphonias! Puerto Rican, Hispaniolan, and Lesser Antillean
Let’s give a warm welcome to not two but three new Euphonia species! The former Antillean Euphonia (Chlorophonia musica) has now been differentiated as the Puerto Rican Euphonia (Chlorophonia sclateri), the Hispaniolan Euphonia (Chlorophonia musica), and the Lesser Antillean Euphonia (Chlorophonia flavifrons). This long awaited split is based on considerable plumage differences between the three new species.
Males of the Hispaniolan Euphonia and Puerto Rican Euphonia have a turquoise blue crown and nape, blackish-violet face, back and wings, a small band of tawny-yellow to orange on the forehead. However, the male Puerto Rican Euphonia boasts a sunny yellow throat, underside, and rump, while the male Hispaniolan Euphonia has a dark blue throat and orange underside and rump. The male Lesser Antillean Euphonia has an olive-green body, sky-blue crown and nape, and yellow forehead; his plumage is fairly similar to the females of all three species but he is a little brighter.
The females of all three species are lighter overall, with yellow-greenish body and wings, turquoise crown and nape, and the forehead nicely adorned with a spot of gold.
The male Puerto Rican Euphonia has a yellow throat, underside, and rump. (Photo by Alfred Irizarry)
The male Hispaniolan Euphonia has a dark blue throat and an orange underside and rump. (Photo by Joshua Covill, ML548852851)
Female Hispaniolan Euphonia; yellow-greenish body and wings, turqoise cfrown and nape and yellow-orange spot on the forehead. The plumage of females of all three Euphonia species is similar. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
The male Lesser Antillean Euphonia has an olive-green body, blue head cap, and yellow forehead. (Photo by Anthony Levesque)
Hispaniolan Palm-Crow and Cuban Palm-Crow
Let’s give a warm welcome to two new species of palm crow! The bird formerly known as the Palm Crow (Corvus palmarum) is now recognized as the Hispaniolan Palm-Crow (Corvus palmarum) and the Cuban Palm-Crow (Corvus minutus). The vocalizations between the two are quite distinct, enough that ornithologists can tell the two apart, so it’s likely that the crows can too! They also show genetic and behavioral differences, including a curious tail-flicking behavior exhibited only by the Hispaniolan Palm-Crow!
A Cuban Palm-Crow. (Photo by Arturo Kirkconnell Jr.)
Hispaniolan Palm-Crow. (Photo by Jay McGowan, ML162378241)
Listen to the differences between the calls of the Hispaniolan Palm-Crow and Cuban Palm-Crow.
We are very excited to welcome these new bird species to the Caribbean—bringing us now to a total of 180 endemic bird species. Our Caribbean birding hotspot just got even hotter, giving you all the more reason to plan your next Caribbean birding adventure!
We’re curious: Did you get an “armchair lifer” or two? (i.e., a new bird on your life list without actually having seen a new bird due to splits like this) Which of these new species would you like to see the most? Comment below!
The endangered Whistling Warbler, an endemic bird to St. Vincent in need of more monitoring (Photo by Judd Patterson).
In April 2021, La Soufrière Volcano, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, erupted for the first time in 42 years. Explosive eruptions and heavy ash fall devastated ecosystems, leaving many species without homes and unable to forage in the wild. St. Vincent’s wildlife, especially endemic landbird species like the threatened St. Vincent Parrot and endangered Whistling Warbler, faced grave peril. The conservation community swiftly formed an emergency group, raising funds and providing much-needed assistance to the Forestry Department working on-the-ground in St. Vincent.
As St. Vincent’s forest regenerates, there is still work to be done to assess the impact of the volcanic eruptions on wildlife populations. A historic lack of research and funding means that there is limited baseline knowledge about the ecology and population status for most of the forest birds on the island. Thanks to funding from theCritical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and BirdsCaribbean members, partners and donors, we have launched a project to build capacity and provide the data needed for long-term landbird species protection. Read on for a second update on this vital work to study and conserve St. Vincent’s unique birds!
Human activities are a threat to the landbirds—and then came the volcano…
Landbirds, as their name implies, spend the majority of their lives on land, and include birds like hummingbirds, raptors, doves, flycatchers, and songbirds. They forage and breed in a variety of habitats in the Caribbean, from gardens, parks, open savannas, and cultivated areas, to scrub and many different types of forests at varying elevations. Many habitats have already been lost, and those remaining are constantly threatened by destruction and degradation from land-based development, cutting of trees for charcoal and timber, and also pollution, invasive species, and climate change. These factors mean that landbird populations, already at risk, experienced another blow to their survival with the eruption of La Soufriére in 2021.
Mesopotamia Valley, one of the most cultivated areas on St Vincent. (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
How are the landbirds doing now? Enter the CLM Network!
Assessing the status and recovery of endangered wildlife populations is now an urgent priority. In collaboration with the St. Vincent Forestry Department and other partners, we launched the “Conservation of the Endangered Whistling Warbler Project” in April 2022 to monitor the Whistling Warbler and other forest birds, build local landbird monitoring capacity, prepare a Conservation Action Plan for the Whistling Warbler, and raise awareness for landbird species. In January 2023, we held a Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop to 1) build local capacity to monitor forest birds using standardized protocols, and 2) establish a long-term monitoring program on St Vincent.
This project is held under the banner of the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring (CLM) Network, through which BirdsCaribbean has been building the capacity of Caribbean conservationists to identify and monitor landbirds. Using these data, we can expand our knowledge of how birds use different habitats in space and time, and enable researchers to assess the status and trends of their populations in relation to habitat, climate, and natural and anthropogenic activities and threats.
Post-eruption clean-up exercise in Hermitage, St. Vincent, on April 2, 2021. (Photo by the SVG Forestry Department)
The elusive and endangered Whistling Warbler. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
The vulnerable St Vincent Parrot. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Ash plume on April 9th at 4 PM, the first day of eruptions (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Valley on the Leeward side of St. Vincent showing severe damage to trees and vegetation. (photo by Richard Robertson, UWI Seismic Research Centre)
Under the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring (CLM) Network, BirdsCaribbean has been building the capacity of Caribbean conservationists to identify and monitor landbirds using standardized survey protocols. Using these data, we can expand our knowledge of how birds use different habitats in space and time, and enable researchers to assess the status and trends of their populations in relation to habitat and climate variables. The first CLM Training Workshop was held in the Dominican Republic in February 2022, followed by an introductory workshop in Puerto Rico in July 2022 in conjunction with the AOS-BC meeting. For this workshop, we head to another enchanting Caribbean island, this time in the Lesser Antilles.
Landbird Monitoring takes wing in the Lesser Antilles
St. Vincent (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) is brimming with bird life and is home to legendary species found nowhere else in the world like the St. Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and the Grenada Flycatcher (also endemic to Grenada). Other beautiful regional endemics include the Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Purple-throated Carib, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Lesser Antillean Euphonia, Brown Trembler, and Rufous-throated Solitaire.
The Grenada Flycatcher is a landbird that is endemic to both St Vincent and Grenada. These two were spotted at the Botanical Gardens of St Vincent and the Grenadines. (Mike Akresh)
The workshop’s content and sessions were facilitated by: Jeff Gerbracht and Ingrid Molina (both from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology), Lystra Culzac-Wilson (Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education – SCIENCE), Glenroy Gaymes (Wildlife Unit, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Department), Dr. Mike Akresh (Antioch University), Dr. Maya Wilson (BirdsCaribbean), and Dr. Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean).
During the workshop, 24 Caribbean wildlife professionals representing NGOs and government agencies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Montserrat, and Grenada learned how to use the Programa de América Latina para las Aves Silvestres (PROALAS) landbird monitoring protocols. These protocols were originally developed in Latin America to survey birds in tropical habitats. We have adopted the methodology (PROALAS Manual, Caribbean version) for our Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Program and are training our local partners in its use.
Group photo of workshop participants and facilitators at Montreal Gardens, St Vincent. (Photo by Timothy Vaughn)
Bountiful Birds at the Botanical Gardens
Curator’s House at the Botanical Gardens of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The workshop was held in the Curator’s House at the Botanical Gardens, just outside the capital city of Kingstown. At over 250 years old, it is the oldest botanical garden in the Western Hemisphere, and an important conservation site. This is also the location of the Nicholas Wildlife Aviary Complex, which maintains a captive population of the vulnerable St. Vincent Parrot.
This location was perfect for learning, discovery, and practice. The Botanical Gardens and nearby Anglican Pastoral Centre’s small forest patch support a variety of bird species, allowing participants to quickly step out of the classroom to practice carrying out PROALAS point counts and transect surveys. The lessons entailed estimating distance using both stride lengths and range finders, marking survey areas, and recording count data in the eBird app (Caribbean pack). But perhaps the most intense and highly rewarding process for participants was learning to identify the birds around them.
Landbirds are often small busy birds that perch briefly, usually hidden by leaves, before darting off to another tree. Fortunately, participants were guided by local birding veterans Lystra Culzac (Director of local NGO SCIENCE) and Glenroy Gaymes (Chief Wildlife Officer, St Vincent Forestry Department) for these bird identification sessions. They reiterated the importance of using field marks, with help from the Merlin app and the Birds of the West Indies field guide, as well as songs and calls, to correctly identify the birds they spotted.
Forestry Officers (St Vincent and the Grenadines) conducting transect surveys behind Anglican Pastoral Centre.
Kayroy Baptiste (Union Island Environmental Alliance) entering data into PROALAS survey sheet during transect survey behind Anglican-Pastoral Centre.
Dr Maya Wilson presenting on the importance of monitoring landbirds.
Ingrid Molina explaining monitoring methods to participants.
Practice makes perfect
Following several preparatory sessions, including “Bird ID 101,” “Landbirds of St Vincent and the Grenadines,” and “How to Use Binoculars,” the participants headed out to the Botanical Gardens to practice identifying birds. The group’s concentration and determination were palpable! Those working in small groups whispered to each other about the nuances of colors, bill shapes, tail lengths, and other field marks. Others pointed out the different bird calls, another important means to ID forest birds. Some of the more experienced birders in the group even used the opportunity to take their bird knowledge and identification skills to the next level, mentoring less experienced birders and adding “lifer birds” to their personal lists!
Lystra Culzac-Wilson introduces participants to the landbirds found in St Vincent.
Dr Mike Akresh helping participants identify birds at the Botanical Gardens.
Jeff explaining binocular specs to participants.
Participants practicing using their Vortex binoculars. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Lystra Culzac-Wilson highlighting the differences among species of doves found in St Vincent.
Lystra and participants practice identifying birds in the Botanical Gardens.
Conquering wild terrain and rough weather to master PROALAS in the field
Botanical gardens and reserves in urban landscapes provide refuge for birds and other wildlife. But realistically, most of our poorly studied and threatened species, including the Whistling Warbler, inhabit rugged forested areas. All of the participants are normally tasked in their jobs with traversing rivers and climbing steep hills—often in unpredictable weather. The workshop’s trajectory naturally shifted from practice to on-the-ground application.
Fieldwork over the next several days began with 5 am wake-up calls to catch the bus to the Vermont Nature Trail or Montreal (part of the Central Mountain Range Forest Reserve). Early risers were rewarded with “gram worthy” views of pristine moist forests and lush undulating ridges. At Vermont Nature Trail we were delighted to see and hear St. Vincent Parrots! Here, on narrow slippery trails with dense vegetation on either side, participants had to rely upon their knowledge of the PROALAS protocols and bird identification by sound to yield the best data for their surveys. Participants displayed sheer professionalism and dedication, working together to improve their skills while braving the less than ideal environmental conditions (yes, we had some downpours!). The team discussed survey methods, assigned tasks, and helped each other with bird identification and equipment use.
Stream along the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Amonie Holas (Gaea Conservation Network) using a rangefinder to calculate distance during the survey on Vermont Nature Trail.
Ansaki Roberts (SVD Forestry Department) marking a point count station with flagging tape on the Vermont Nature Trail.
Participants conducting a point count survey at Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Maya-Wilson)
View from the parrot observation deck at Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Participants identifying and recording birds along the Vermont Nature Trail.
St Vincent Parrot quietly perched on a tree, Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Briefing before start of surveys at Montreal Gardens.
Participants identifying birds with Lystra Culzac-Wilson at Montreal Gardens.
A Purple-throated Carib sitting in her nest was spotted by Lisa at Montreal Gardens. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson).
On the last day we headed to the dry forest on the leeward side of the island at Zion Hill. Along the way we stopped at Buccament and Layou to survey waterbirds for the annual, regional Caribbean Waterbird Census, which was ongoing at the time. Bird identification reached a crescendo when Jeff set up the spotting scope for everyone to get a closer look at the shorebirds. The most popular among the group was an American Oystercatcher! We were all jumping back in line to catch a second look at this snazzy bird with its carrot-like beak.
Buccament Bay, St Vincent.
Jeanette (St Lucia National Trust) and Aloysius (St Lucia Forestry Department) looking for waterbirds at Buccament Bay.
Identifying waterbirds for CWC2023, St-Vincent. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
The Layou River in St. Vincent is an important freshwater site. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Caribbean Waterbird Survey at Layou Bay. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
American Oystercatcher using its unmistakeable red-orange beak to forage.
And the CLM Network grows
After a non-stop week of birding and learning, participants returned to their home countries to start the next phase—designing and implementing their own landbird monitoring programs, educating their communities about local landbirds, and contributing information to an accessible online Caribbean landbird monitoring database. This mass Caribbean capacity building is ultimately what these workshops are about. This type of training enables participants to develop sustainable and homegrown programs in their own countries, laying the groundwork for a future where our endemics can be known and protected through deeper appreciation, ongoing monitoring, comprehensive Conservation Action Plans and policy interventions.
In particular, we are excited to see the St. Vincent Forestry Department lead their own landbird monitoring programs to understand and conserve the St. Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other forest birds. In addition, both Forestry and SCIENCE are raising awareness with children and communities about St Vincent’s special endemic birds and how important it is to protect their forest habitats. Stay tuned for further updates reporting on the results of our monitoring and education programs!
Forestry staff and workshop facilitators during a brainstorming session for a landbird monitoring plan for St Vincent, at Montreal Gardens.
Participants shared how their workshop experience would support their own conservation work:
“I am now able to organize a [landbird] monitoring program for my island and use the eBird app.”
“The workshop deepened my understanding of landbird ecology and how to efficiently monitor these birds.”
“I really appreciated being able to connect with other Caribbean conservationists and build my network.”
“The workshop gave us the tools, equipment and knowledge to collect data about landbirds.”
The workshop “provided me with the necessary skills to properly survey a [bird] population.”
“It has increased my understanding of what should and should not be done when monitoring landbirds.”
Acknowledgements: BirdsCaribbean is grateful to the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for funding this Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop. We also want to express our deepest appreciation to Mr. Fitzgerald Providence and his staff at the St. Vincent Forestry Department for their help and support, and to Vortex Optics for assistance with binoculars for all participants. Special thanks to our workshop trainers and to all of the participants for an incredible workshop. Finally, we thank BirdsCaribbean members, partners, and donors for your support, which made this work possible.
Behind-the-scenes
BirdsCaribbean has years of experience organizing and executing workshops and each one comes with its own unique challenges and opportunities. Here are some of the behind-the-scenes preparations for this CLM Training Workshop.
Getting there
Even though in some cases islands are miles apart, inter-Caribbean travel is rough. Economy flights are expensive between islands because airlines have to pay high taxes at each airport and each airline has fixed flight schedules. This meant some participants had to overnight on another island before flying to St. Vincent or leave St. Vincent a day later. Maya had to be methodical in selecting flights so that everyone got to St. Vincent on time for the start of the workshop. We suggest that Maya add ‘travel agent’ to her CV.
Field Reconnaissance
Workshop facilitators also have to scout for suitable locations for the field sessions. This entails selecting the site, visiting the site, collecting sample data and vetting for safety. During the recon mission at the Anglican Pastoral Centre, our very own member of the Media Working Group, Aliya, slipped and fell down one especially steep part of the trail. Although Glenroy told us “what happens in the forest stays in the forest,” we think it’s too funny not to share. Aliya admits that she is prone to falling but that this event stood out to her because it was “not an abrupt fall I am used to. I slowly slid down the trail and it felt like I was never going to stop!” We hope that Aliya and her legs have since worked out their differences.
Workshop and outreach materials
Flights are expensive and so is shipping to the Caribbean! Every opportunity to meet in-person is an opportunity to share printed materials and equipment. It really would not be a gathering of Caribbean people if suitcases of goods other than clothes were not brought to the event! We used this opportunity to share field guides, binoculars (again, massive thanks to our donors), rolls of flagging tapes, stacks of waterproof notebooks, nest cameras, Endemic Birds of the West Indies coloring books, and stickers.
Rolls of stickers of birds endemic to the Lesser Antilles. Each roll contains 1000 stickers. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Close-up of the Whistling Warbler sticker with the call to “Protect & Love Our Endemic Birds.”
The beautiful stickers were designed by Josmar Esteban Márquez featuring 11 Lesser Antillean gems; Green-throated Carib, Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Bananaquit, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Whistling Warbler, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Grenada Flycatcher, Mangrove Cuckoo, and St Vincent Parrot. They were custom-made for use by the various NGOs and government agencies partners during their conservation outreach and education activities at schools and thus bear the name of the bird with a call to “Protect & Love (heart symbol) our endemic birds.”
We underestimated the time it would take to divide and distribute stickers (1000 per roll per species). Since the workshop was coming to an end, we needed all hands-on-deck to cut and package the stickers for each of the NGOs and government agency representatives. Indeed, teamwork makes the dream work! But next time we’ll get a head start.
Workshop facilitators sorting, tearing and packaging stickers for our partners during the workshop.
Stephon and Antwone (Montserrat National Trust) receiving outreach materials from Lisa.
Kristy Shortte (Sustainable Grenadines) receiving outreach materials from Lisa.
Forestry staff receiving outreach materials from Lisa.
Aloysius Charles St. Lucia Forestry Department receiving outreach materials from Lisa.
Ajhermae White Montserrat Department of Environment receiving outreach materials from Lisa.
Kayroy Baptiste and Roxanne Froget (Union-Island Environmental Alliance) receive outreach materials from Lisa.
Earlier in April we announced that we were looking for a new Communications Manager to oversee BirdsCaribbean’s communications, marketing, and public relations efforts to raise awareness and support for our mission, projects, and programs. We received applications from some of the best communications professionals from the Caribbean making our task in selecting just one extremely difficult. But ultimately we decided that Christel Mohammed was the right fit for us.
Christel Mohammed is a multidisciplinary communications professional with a Master of Science in Marketing from Heriott-Watt University and Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts from the University of the West Indies. She is a national of the twin-island country of Trinidad and Tobago. She has just under a decade of experience working in communications for environmental, sustainability and developmental projects with the government of Trinidad and Tobago, which is where she developed a passion for communications as a tool for development.
Before joining BirdsCaribbean she served as the Corporate Communications Officer in the Ministry of Planning and Development. In her role there, she promoted mangrove and seagrass conservation with the Institute of Marine Affairs; supported the Ministry in championing national development strategies; promoted information technology offshoring in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the Global Services Promotion Program; and led design for national and regional branding projects. She is a communications professional with a flair for the creative—her skills extend beyond communications strategy to video production and hosting; design and brand development; and creative direction. She especially loves applying those skills to science communication and public education projects!
Christel believes that the narratives we consume shape how we think, make decisions, and interface with the world—empowering people to make better informed decisions for themselves and the planet through communications is what drives her.
For this blog we decided to sit down with Christel to find out what life is like working in communications and what she does in her down time.
BC: What does a typical day as a communications manager involve?
Christel: It’s early yet to say what a typical day here is going to look like. Right now I’m getting oriented to the vast network of BirdsCaribbean, and appreciating all the ways in which BirdsCaribbean continues to conserve our islands’ biodiversity through regional capacity building, sponsoring citizen science programs, funding research, delivering educational campaigns for all ages, hosting vibrant festivals, and so much more! So far it’s been a whirlwind of meetings, research, content development, communications auditing and planning, and as always with comms—editing, editing, editing!
BC: Why is science communication important for NGOs?
Christel: Our natural heritage belongs to everyone, and we all have a role in protecting it, but that idea is only meaningful when information about the issues that threaten our environment is clear and accessible to everyone. Science communication is critical for NGOs, particularly those of us who work in conservation, because it’s the vehicle that allows this work to be inclusive and empowering. It enables people to understand and take ownership of the challenges we face, develop home-grown solutions, and advocate for better representation by our leaders. It’s also a vital tool that gives a voice to our species and helps us appreciate the threats that they face.
BC: What is the best part of your job?
Christel: I think about the question of how we make things—our environment, our societies, our lives—better, a lot. It really matters to me that what I do has value and contributes positively to our world. The best part of my job is simply that with BirdsCaribbean, I’m supporting meaningful and necessary work, and I’m deeply happy to be part of such a dynamic and impactful team.
BC: When you’re not busy developing high impact communications strategies what are you doing?
Christel: I love reading and creating; I’ve been an artist all my life and simply couldn’t exist without having some ongoing creative project. No surprise here, but I’m also a birder and would unreservedly recommend it to anyone—it is the absolute best way to cultivate awe, presence, and peace.
BC: Finally, we have to ask, what is your favorite bird?
Christel: Gosh it has to be the bird that got me into birding – the Red-billed Tropicbird! In 2015 I had the happy accident of wandering into birding in the most spectacular way. I signed up for a tour of Little Tobago largely for the experience of snorkeling in the beautiful reefs off of the island. The tour included a trail walk and as luck would have it, this was at the peak of the breeding season of the Red-Billed Tropicbird. We got to the lookout point at the top of the hill and that was the moment—I heard it before I saw it—two sheer cliff faces stretched out on either side of me with a mind-blowing mass of nesting tropicbirds dotting both cliffs. It sounds silly, but it was the most birds I had ever seen and the scale was wondrous to me. In front of me over the ocean the activity was also epic—Magnificent Frigatebirds wrestling the tropicbirds for their catches! Experiencing the pure awe of that moment and learning about the behaviors of the different birds kicked off a fascination that I haven’t lost since!
Let’s extend a hearty Caribbean welcome to Christel!
Children are natural explorers – some of whom are curious about birds. And why wouldn’t they be? Birds come in all colors, shapes and sizes. They sing sweet melodies, give funny chirps and whistles, and even make eerie sounds. But perhaps best of all, like superheroes and fairies, they can fly!
Birdwatching is a great way to nurture children’s innate scientific interests through the study of nature. This is what BirdLife Jamaica set out to achieve with their “Bring A Child Birding” event in May, which coincided with Jamaica’s observation of Child Month and the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival. Emma Lewis, our Media Working Group Chair and member of BirdLife Jamaica, shared this lively retelling of the young birders’ first experience birdwatching at Hope Gardens, Jamaica.
One small girl found the binoculars weighed her down too much, so her father took them over.
Talking birds: Justin Saunders lends a listening ear to a young birder. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Another girl (pre-teen age) was convinced that there were woodpeckers in the clump of bamboo; in fact, bamboo often makes all kinds of knocking and rattling noises when the wind blows. But we did see a real endemic Jamaican Woodpecker, with his blazing red head, a little later.
Male Jamaican Woodpecker. (Photo by Tim Avery- Macaulay Library- ML87028941)
Several Common Moorhens tripped as fast as they could along the pond side to avoid the children’s cries–but were duly admired, anyway.
Hey! Are you taking a photo of us? Adults and children birdwatch by the pond. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Two boys, guided by their father (a brilliant bird photographer), were busy counting Greater Antillean Grackles, who were making their usual “cling cling clii-ing” racket in a bush.
Greater Antillean Grackle. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
BirdLife Jamaica’s concept of staging a children’s birding session in Kingston’s beloved Hope Gardens was an absolute winner, straight out of the starting block. Since it was the first attempt, perhaps we could call it a “pilot project.”
The gardens themselves were remarkably busy, with what seemed to be a major picnic going on. Literally hundreds of children were spread across the grass, with the occasional lady and gentleman dressed up in wedding attire, for photo-ops. The noise level was terrific. I was disturbed to see how many cars were allowed in the gardens, however. There is quite a large parking lot. It should be a place to walk (or run).
We gathered in the shadiest spot we could find in the Chinese Garden, which was a little more sedate. We handed out binoculars and signed adults and children up. I think we had a total count of around fifty. The parents were protective, supportive and seemed to enjoy themselves. The children were kept so busy that only one or two had “meltdowns” towards the end of two hours or so of hard birding–quite understandable!
Binoculars are a birder’s best tool! (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Splitting up into groups, each with an adult leader, we walked off in different directions, with our necks adjusted at different angles, to find birds. The children’s necks needed adjusting, too; it is not just about spotting a bird, but also training one’s binoculars in the right direction–the right tree, the right branch–to see it in spectacular detail. Also, one usually needs to fiddle with the binoculars so that it’s not all a blur, but actually matches your eyesight and fits your eyes comfortably.
Justin Saunders and Damany Calder help a participant identify a bird at Hope Gardens. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
The children soon became adept at spotting the birds when they weren’t too busy interacting with each other in various ways. Spotting them wasn’t a problem. Several children shouted, pointed, and jumped up and down each time they saw a bird! The objects of their interest were not very impressed with this behavior, often flying away from the shouting, gesticulating young humans. We had to explain to them that when birding you have to speak quietly, step lightly, and refrain from sudden movements. This is something, of course, that children are not naturally prone to do. We had to remind them to use their binoculars, too. This brings the whole birding experience to life.
Frequently heard comments were:
“I see it!”
“Where?”
“Oh, it’s gone!”
“Give me your binoculars!”
“I don’t see it.”
“Look, look, look!” (crescendo)
“My binoculars aren’t working!”
And more.
Below are some more photos, courtesy of Stuart Reeves, Kahlil Francis, and myself. We did not photograph the birds this time since we were focused on the kids watching the birds! However, apart from the more common residents such as Greater Antillean Grackle, White-winged Dove, Smooth-billed Anis and Zenaida Dove (plus a whole host of Cattle Egrets, pecking away at some freshly watered grass), we did spot some endemic species that live nowhere else in the world but Jamaica–the children found this fact surprising. There was the aforementioned Jamaican Woodpecker, Jamaican Parakeet, Yellow-billed Parrots, Jamaican Oriole (endemic sub-species), and the Red-billed Streamertail. A pair of much less common Black-billed Parrots (conservation status: Vulnerable) posed for a while on a bare branch.
Birdwatching in the Chinese Garden at Hope Gardens. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Practicing the birding on one knee technique. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Some participants could not contain their excitement. (Photo by Keisha-Miller)
Pop quiz time with Keisha Miller. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Winding down in the warm late afternoon sun, we handed out posters of Jamaican endemic birds to each young participant. Copies of my personal little “Bible,” A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica, by Ann Haynes-Sutton, Audrey Downer, and Robert Downer, were on sale. All went home quite satisfied as there was just no time to be bored. I think we have “converted” a few children to birding (and perhaps one or two adults, too). Moreover, I believe that the children enjoyed themselves, being away from their tablets, iPads and phones and appreciating nature.
The poster entitled “The Endemic Birds of Jamaica – 31 More Reasons to be Proud of Jamaica.”
I think it’s safe to say that BirdLife Jamaica pulled off a coup (the non-violent kind, of course). Many congratulations to Justin, Michelle, Keisha, Damany, Treya, Kahlil, Stuart and all the others that got involved to make it a roaring success! With special, special thanks to Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) and the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) for their support.
Happy adults and children after a lovely evening spent watching birds. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
BirdsCaribbean is proud to work alongside BirdLife Jamaica and we salute their efforts to protect the birds of Jamaica and their habitats. We were thrilled to learn of the positive experiences and hope that other NGOs in the region will also be inspired to make bird watching more accessible and enjoyable to the youth.
Hope Gardens, formally known as the Royal Botanical Gardens, comprises 200 acres of endemic and exotic botanical collections located in Kingston. It is the largest public green space in the capital and is often used for picnics, weddings, band concerts, poetry readings and birdwatching! The Gardens offer a variety of habitats for birds and other wildlife. Among the habitats are the Cassia Cassia siamea grove by the main entrance; a Palm Avenue, where sago palms are among the oldest living trees in the garden; a cacti garden with rare varieties; the annual gardens with numerous species of exotic flowers; a bougainvillea walk; an orchid house; a maze; a forest; the sunken gardens; and the lily pond.
Yaritza with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
BirdsCaribbean is proud to coordinate the annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) along with many environmental and community organizations across the region. Today we look back on all the fun events celebrating the Caribbean’s iconic birds, being in nature, meeting new friends, and making water conservation an important part of our daily lives!
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) 2023 emphasized the importance of water conservation by shedding light on the crucial role of waterways and their surrounding watersheds in supporting our region’s unique bird populations and providing us with clean water.
We often see birds flying, preening, and feeding, but rarely do we see them drinking water. This does not mean that water is not important to birds. In fact, birds need water just as much as we do. Drinking water helps them regulate body processes like digestion. Water also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath. Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters. With growing human populations and relentless development, there are growing demands for water and continued destruction of our remaining wetlands.
The 2023 CEBF marked a significant milestone in bird conservation efforts. After a challenging period of virtual celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this spring we witnessed a massive return of in-person activities. Bird enthusiasts, nature lovers, conservation organizations, and local communities all came together to spread the urgent message that water conservation is vital for all life on earth, including birds, and to learn how to protect the habitats of the one-of-a-kind bird species that call the Caribbean home.
CEBF heads offline and into nature
Coordinators embraced the theme by focusing on water as an essential resource and raised awareness about conserving and sustainably managing water habitats. The interconnectedness of birds, water, and the broader ecosystem was celebrated and supported through birdwatching trips, habitat cleanups, bird fairs and many more activities.
“Water, a lifeblood of our birds, sustains not only their existence but also their habitats,” said Eduardo Llegus, co-regional coordinator of CEBF. “With over 700 bird species in the Caribbean relying on our water resources, it becomes clear that the preservation of these precious resources is essential for their survival. As we embrace theUN Decade (2021-2030) on Ecosystem Restoration, let us remember that protecting and reversing degradation of our water ecosystems is not just an obligation but a lifeline for our avian treasures and the biodiversity they represent, hence, a healthier ecosystem and a healthier people.”
A Key West Quail-Dove takes a drink. Bird baths are a great way to support birds and attract more species to your backyard!
CEBF events were highly interactive and captivated children, teens, and adults alike. Birdwatching allowed attendees to marvel at the beauty and diversity of endemic bird species in their natural habitats. These guided field trips also provided valuable insights into the ecological, economic and cultural importance of natural areas. Educational workshops and presentations deepened participants’ understanding of birds and their conservation needs. CEBF island coordinators educated participants about bird ecology and behavior, raised awareness of the multitude of threats they face, and inspired individuals to become advocates for bird conservation.
Celebrations across the region!
Jamaica
Birdlife Jamaica organized a “Bring a Child Birding” event in Kingston’s vibrant Hope Gardens. Approximately 50 participants, divided into smaller groups, enjoyed a thrilling two-hour tour spotting many birds, including exclusive Jamaican endemics. Despite the busyness of the garden, they all enjoyed the experience and we hope these budding birders continue to be encouraged to bird. More details from this event will be shared in an upcoming blog!
Birdlife Jamaica’s ‘Bring a Child Birding’ event flyer.
Justin Saunders of Birdlife Jamaica helps with bird identification at Hope Gardens. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Budding birders socializing and learning how to use binoculars. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Cuba
CEBF celebrations in Cuba were vast! An astounding 69 Cuban island coordinators executed a multitude of events across 12 (out of 15) provinces impacting over 5,000 people. This year we joyfully welcomed new Cuban birding clubs to the celebrations: Club Observadores de Aves de Artemisa, Club de Observadores de Aves de Granma, Proyecto comunitario Amiguitos de la Naturaleza, and Nativa Red de Microviveros. Cuban ornithologists Martín Acosta, Lourdes Mugica, and Karen Aguilar released a much-needed field guide, “Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional” which documents the abundant bird life at Cuba’s National Botanic Garden. Children and teenagers were treated to bird puzzles, cartoons and other bird-centric games, and participated in habitat clean-ups and tree planting activities. Information about water conservation was shared through the local media.
Diorama of Parque Nacional San Felioe in Cuba. (Photo by Festival de las Aves Endémicas del Caribe)
The CEBF encourages sensory play through gardening too. A little boy plants a tree for birds at his school in Cuba. (Photo by Festival de las-Aves Endémicas del Caribe)
A participant with her beautiful flamingo sculpture. (Photo by Festival de las Aves Endémicas del Caribe)
Information about the festival and endemic birds of Cuba was shared via radio interviews.
Participants were also treated to a bird book display.
Felix Raul Figueroa, photographer and member of Grupo Ecología de Aves, looks on as students from Ciénaga de Zapata color the Cuban Parrot. (Photo by Grupo de Ecología de Aves)
Group photo of students and members of Club observadores de aves de Granma.
Two young girls plant trees in the Jardín Botánico Cupaynicú. (Photo by Club de observadores de aves de Granma)
Winners of the art competition pose with their prizes at the award ceremony in El Bongo Park. (Photo by Club observadores de aves de Granma)
Cuban CEBF Coordinators and members of Grupo de Ecología de Aves Universidad de La Habana.
Dominican Republic
Grupo Acción Ecológica, an environmental NGO in the Dominican Republic, hosted a tree planting event at the botanical garden to support birds and other wildlife. Students were also encouraged to tap into their creativity by painting bird masks and landscapes. The paintings gave students the opportunity to display their skills and also to voice their ideas of what healthy bird habitats should look like. One student explained, “I painted the sky and added a rainbow, the sun, clouds, water, trees, and birds, because birds need all these elements to live”.
Students help plant native trees for birds and other wildlife at the National Botanical Garden.
Grupo Acción Ecológica and students at the National Botanical Garden.
María Paulino of Grupo Acción Ecológica speaks to students about the endemic birds of the Dominican Republic.
María Paulino leads a birdwatching tour at the National Botanical Garden.
María Paulino hosts a group discussion with students at the National Botanical Garden.
Event coordinators included members of the Department of Environmental Education, the Seed Bank and Grupo Acción Ecológica.
Puerto Rico
In nearby Puerto Rico, Fundación Amigos del Yunque integrated birding and education to raise awareness among youth and local communities about the significance of the island’s endemic bird species and their interconnectedness with ecosystems, including the renowned El Yunque National Forest. Other Puerto Rican partners Coriecis, Conservation Opportunity, Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín, Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc. (SOPI), SOPAS, and Organización Reverdece y Educa tu Comunidad, organized birdwatching, conferences, information booths, fairs, and coastal clean-ups. These events attracted the participation of teachers, students, parents and other volunteers.
Coriecis volunteers use their brand new Vortex binoculars during the bird census. (Photo by Coriecis)
A Conservation Opportunity member educates participants about the endemic birds of Puerto Rico. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
A Conservation Opportunity member sensitises participants about the threats posed by marine pollution. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
This newly installed sign encourages beach goers to keep their environment clean. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
How long are your ‘wings’? A member of Conservation Opportunity measures her arm length against a bird wingspan poster. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
The Conservation Opportunity cleanup crew. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Eduardo Llegus talks about the effect of plastic pollution on human health. (Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Youth making a sign at Colegio Ponceño.(Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Birdwatching at Colegio Ponceño. (Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Scaly-naped Pigeon-colored in by students. (Photo by Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad)
Members of Reverdece y Educa Tu Comunidad at the University of Puerto Rico Ponce Campus garden.
A young girl plays a bird game during the CEBF festivities as a member of the Luis-Munos Marin Foundation looks on. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves Rodriguez)
CEBF Coordinators from Luis-Munos Marin Foundation in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves Rodriguez)
Bird-centric scavenger hunt at El Yunque Forest. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Hilda Morales shows participants how to identify birds. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Votes cast for participants’ favourite Puerto Rican endemic bird activity. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Yaritza Bobonis, coordinator from Fundación Amigos de El Yunque, welcomes participants to the CEBF event.
Yaritza Bobonis with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Bird nests on display at CEBF event at El Yunque Forest. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Antigua and Barbuda
Heading down to the Lesser Antilles, the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) of Antigua and Barbuda hosted an immersive floating classroom field trip—a boat tour wound through critical mangrove and coral reef habitats, allowing participants to closely examine their structures and functions, before landing at Great Bird Island. There, participants equipped with binoculars identified the diverse range of land and seabirds that breed on the island, experiencing firsthand the importance of the offshore islands as wildlife havens. The objective was straightforward; reconnect participants with birds and nature, and hopefully, inspire them to make environmentally conscious decisions in their everyday lives.
Practice makes perfect! Students learn to use binoculars during the Floating Classroom field trip. (Photo by EAG)
Shanna Challenger-helps students spot and identify the birds of the Offshore Islands. (Photo by EAG)
Joshel Wilson speaks to students of St Anthony’s Secondary School about the Antiguan Racer on the Offshore Islands. (Photo by EAG)
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education (SCIENCE SVG) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines originally planned an outdoor community event at Sandy Bay with aid from a local organization. While unfavorable weather conditions forced celebrations indoors, SCIENCE SVG was triumphant with a joyful display and presentation at the Georgetown Secondary School.
Student with her prizes for correctly answering quiz questions on birds at the activity table. (Photo by Lystra Culzac)
Lystra Culzac features the Whistling Warbler, an endemic of St. Vincent found in the forested upper watersheds of the school community. (Photo by Dr Joanne Justo)
Dr Joanne Gaymes of SCIENCE SVG explains the competition rules for winning the prizes displayed at the table. (Photo by Lystra Culzac)
Also in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Forestry Department brought the beauty of endemic birds and the need for their conservation to local schools. These school visits were featured in the local news, undoubtedly reaching more Vincentians locally and abroad! Junior Forestry Officers were taken on a birding tour of Lingley Valley to practice their bird identification skills acquired during the BirdsCaribbean Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Training Workshop held in January this year.
Grenada
In Grenada, CEBF celebrations headed to the mangroves at L’anse Aux Epines! Gaea Conservation invited all birders—new, amateur and veteran, to join them for “Birding 101: Tips and Tricks on Bird Identification in Grenada.” They birded along the road before entering the mangroves where to everyone’s delight they saw the Grenada Flycatcher!
Birding 101 event flyer.
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
Grenada Flycatcher. (Photo by Knut Hansen)
Beginner and experienced birders joined Gaea Conservation Network for their event.
Trinidad
And finally, at the end of the Caribbean archipelago on the island of Trinidad, CEBF was celebrated at the ARC Conservation Field Station in Brasso Seco, a small village nestled in the Northern Range. Attendees of the “Protect the Rivers, Save the Birds” event were introduced to bird banding, an important conservation tool, and treated to up-close views of some of the area’s common birds like the stunning Silver-beaked Tanager and delightful Bananaquit. Giselle, director of ARC Conservation and graduate of our Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) workshop, allowed the younger children to release the banded birds under her careful supervision. Their delight was palpable and we hope that happy memories were created!
ARC Conservation Field Station at Brasso Seco.
Giselle shows the children how to correctly hold a Violaceous Euphonia.
Learning about water conservation for birds and humans at the event.
After the nets were closed, it was time to dive into some Birdsleuth Caribbean activities, a discussion on water conservation at home, and bird art. Masks were crafted by hand with designs representing the resident birds. A spectacular bird masquerade made for the perfect finale to a wonderful day of celebrations. There were no questions among the children about their favorite mask—the Trinidad Piping-Guan or ‘Pawi’ was the clear winner!
Children and ARC Conservation members wear their hand crafted masks.
Still the Best in the West (Indies)
The Endemic Birds of the West Indies Coloring Book was again a favorite among participants across the islands. Since its release, island coordinators have used the book as a tool to introduce youth to the fascinating world of birds. Both English and Spanish versions of the coloring book are available for free download from our Resources page! Contact info@Birdscaribbean.org to find out how to receive printed copies of English or Spanish books.
We intend to share this valuable educational resource in French, but this can only be made possible with your help! Your support ensures that our resources, which help both adults and children learn about birds and how to protect them, remain free and accessible.
Feathery facts and free resources for classrooms and homes
Each day we featured a new Endemic Bird of the Day on our website and across BirdsCaribbean’s socials, sharing 26 new species in 2023. The species were carefully selected to include truly unique birds, like the Martinique Oriole and Gray-crowned Palm-Tanager; species which keep birders’ ID skills in check, like the Lesser Antillean Swift; those that challenge female stereotypes, like the Ashy-faced Owl; and endemic crooners, like the Rufous-throated Solitaire and Bahama Mockingbird. You can find the complete library of 131 endemic birds covered thus far here. (There are ~180 endemic birds total in the region with 5 “new” species added via species splits in July 2023!).
Each endemic bird profile was accompanied by a beautifully drawn image by Josmar Esteban Marquez of AveZona, stunning high quality photos and videos, online puzzles tailored for different levels (between six and 1,024 pieces), and bird calls. Fun, free and engaging activities were also provided for both kids and adults, including downloadable coloring pages, experiments, up-cycle crafts, and more.
CEBF 2024 loading…
This year’s CEBF is over – but don’t worry, we still have plenty of bird content for you to enjoy! Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and have joined the BirdsCaribbean mailing list, to ensure you are kept up to date with our latest news via our monthly newsletter.
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival will return next April 2024 – but we need help coming up with a theme! We would love to hear your ideas for next year’s theme, which should allow us to highlight a critical problem that affects birds throughout the region. Please email your theme and a brief explanation (1-3 sentences) on why it should be the 2024 CEBF theme to CEBF@birdscaribbean.org, info@birdscaribbean.org and Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org
And, we need help distributing educational materials to our partners in the Caribbean for next year’s CEBF.
In addition to high shipping costs, it can be difficult to get the materials to individual islands on-time and in good condition. If you, or a friend or relative, will be traveling between the US and the Caribbean during the months of December, January and February and have extra room in your suitcase, please get in touch with us at CEBF@birdscaribbean.org, info@birdscaribbean.org and Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org. Your support will help ensure that bird education remains accessible to all in the Caribbean.
Acknowledgements: A massive THANK YOU to the island coordinators for your enthusiasm and dedication to making this another memorable CEBF! Each year we see a growing number of participants committed to increasing their knowledge of Caribbean birds and actively working to protect their habitats. We also extend our gratitude to our donors and members who help us provide the coordinators with the support and resources they need to educate and inspire future generations of bird and nature loving communities.
