Category: Conservation

September 13, 2023

Birds Connect Our World – Day 56

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2023! This year’s theme is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have coloring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.

Migratory Bird of the Day: Lesser Yellowlegs

With their long bright-yellow legs, you might spot these elegant shorebirds at the water’s edge searching the shallows for food. Lesser Yellowlegs are mottled grayish-brown above, with pale underparts. These slender-looking, long-billed birds can be easy to pick out from the crowd with their distinctive leg color. However, take care as this shorebird has a ‘cousin’—the Greater Yellowlegs!

Greater Yellowlegs are much larger and more heavily built. If you spot the two together, you’ll be in no doubt as to who is who. But you can also pick out Lesser Yellowlegs from its relatively shorter bill-length compared to Greater Yellowlegs. Lesser Yellowlegs also have a distinctive whistled “tu-tu” call, typically one or two notes, while the Greater Yellowlegs call is a stronger “tu-tu-tu!” of 3 to 4 notes. You can find more ID tips in our video here.

Lesser Yellowlegs breed in the Boreal forests in the far north of North America. They head south after breeding, making amazing migratory journeys of thousands of kilometers. They can start to arrive in the Caribbean from July and August. Some Lesser Yellowlegs will continue on to South America, but others will spend the winter here. Lesser Yellowlegs can be found in wetlands, both freshwater and on the coast. They show up on mud flats, ponds, lagoons, and on mangrove edges. They will also use agricultural areas, with flocks of thousands of individuals sometimes using flooded rice fields.

Lesser Yellowlegs are one of the most common shorebirds using the Atlantic Flyway. They are currently listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN. Sadly, however, Lesser Yellowlegs populations have declined by a shocking 63-70% since the 1970s! Loss of habitat, climate change, and unsustainable hunting and trapping at several non-breeding locations have all contributed to this decline. Conserving our Caribbean wetlands will help Lesser Yellowlegs and many other species. They provide food-rich havens for birds to refuel on migration or to spend the winter. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Color in the Lesser Yellowlegs

Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Coloring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your colored-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2023Carib

Listen to the calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs

The calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs are a whistled “tu-tu” with one or two notes, often repeated rapidly.

Puzzles of the Day

Click on the images below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Lesser Yellowlegs. Did you know that despite their similar appearance, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are not each other’s closest relatives? The Lesser Yellowlegs is more closely related to the Willet! (Photo by Franz Delcroix)

Lesser Yellowlegs with wings open — Lesser Yellowlegs mainly feed on invertebrates including snails and flies, beetles, and dragonflies. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Birds, like the Lesser Yellowlegs, that are typically found at the shore and other coastal habitats like mudflats and lagoons are called shorebirds.

These birds come in different sizes and shapes. They are always on the move, checking the shoreline for food. They have special bills that help them poke into the mud or sand and in between rocks. Their bills and leg lengths are different depending on what they eat and where they find their food. All of this can help us to identify them!

Why not go Birding at the beach? Or at any other wetland! We have made some suggestions of who you can look out for whilst you’re there. You can also download and print out our handy guide to help you identify the different types of shorebirds we find in the Caribbean. You can find more helpful tips, activities and video on our Shorebird Resources page.

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy these videos of Lesser Yellowlegs

Read all about the fascinating work tracking Lesser Yellowlegs: Biologist Laura McDuffie has tracked the movements of these long distance migrants as they travelled to and from their breeding areas. Find out more about Laura’s work, the amazing journeys that Lesser Yellowlegs make each year and the threats they face along the way!

A Year in the Life of a Lesser Yellowlegs

You can FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LESSER YELLOWLEGS AND HUNTING IN THE CARIBBEAN IN THIS SHORT VIDEO

August 10, 2023

An Exciting New Field Guide to Help Cubans Know and Enjoy their Local Birds: An Interview with the Authors

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.

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA ESPAÑOL

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.

BirdsCaribbean Awards Grants for Ten Projects to Study and Conserve Birds

Oldest Birding Group in Cuba Wins Prestigious Ralph W. Schreiber Award at the 2021 AOS Awards!

The Cuban Ornithologists Year Book 2019

July 26, 2023

Announcing the First-ever eBird Sound Recording Challenge: Record Bird Songs to Win Big!

July 14, 2023

Rising from the Ashes: Building Capacity to Monitor St. Vincent’s Endangered Whistling Warbler and Forest Birds in the Wake of La Soufrière

July 7, 2023

Water Conservation for Birds AND People – Dive into the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival Highlights 2023!

July 6, 2023

Caribbean Seabird Census, Avian Influenza, and GPS Tracking—All in the Latest Seabird Working Group Newsletter!

June 15, 2023

BirdsCaribbean Global Big Day 2023 Photography Awards

June 8, 2023

Have You Seen This Bird? Outreach to Aid in the Search for the Diablotin

June 2, 2023

Global Big Day 2023: Another Win for Bird Conservation in the West Indies!

It’s an extraordinary day that never disappoints!

On Saturday, May 13, birders in the Caribbean and around the world got up (early) and out in force for Global Big Day! Twice a year, during peak migration times (once in spring and once in fall) birders around the world spring into action and try to spot as many different bird species as they can in 24 hours. Besides the sheer enjoyment of the day, the list of birds collected and submitted to eBird from across the globe are hugely valuable for science and conservation!

The Big Day numbers were, as usual, quite impressive. Global Big Day in 2023 was a huge success, with 7,636 bird species recorded by over 58,000 people around the world! An amazing 3.2 million bird sightings were logged by eBirders in 24 hours!

In the West Indies, Big Day birders once again increased in numbers and saw 515 species in total, thanks to the amazing efforts of 511 eBird observers! There were more birds, and more humans watching them, in 2023 compared to the previous years (see the stats on the graph in Figure 1).

Bar graph showing changes in eBirders, species seen, lists submitted during Global big day in the West Indies — Figure 1: Global Big Day 2020-2023 comparisons showing changes in total number of eBird Observers in the West Indies, total species seen, and total number of eBird checklists submitted.

Graphic showing increase in eBirders during 2023 Big Day by country in the West Indies — Figure 2. The number of ‘new’ people taking part in Global Big Day in 2023 (compared to 2022) in the West Indies, including all those who took part in the region.

This year, many Caribbean islands saw an increase in the number of people taking part in Global Big Day. In fact, the number of eBirders in 2023 grew by more than 100% from 2022 in some countries. Special mention goes to the Dominican Republic, who added 40 more eBirders in 2023, increasing participation by over 170%. What a great achievement! New recruits to the growing “army” of eBirders are always welcome, helping to boost birding records for the region.

What about the number of species seen? Looking at the eBird data from all those who took part in the West Indies (not just our BirdsCaribbean teams – see below for team stats!) – Cuba once again edged out the others for the most species seen – 172! Trinidad and Tobago were hot on their heels this year with a total of 170, with Puerto Rico in third place with an amazing count of 132 species!

Banding Together for Caribbean Birds—Fundraising Success!

Our Big Day birding teams stepped up again in 2023 to help raise funds for bird conservation in the Caribbean. This year, those funds are going towards our Caribbean Bird Banding program. Our Global Big Day fundraiser was another stunning success! Together, our 17 participating teams from across the Caribbean and beyond have raised over $19,300 USD so far. We are over 90% of our goal of $20,000. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who took part or supported us so far!

Caribbean Bird Banding Training Workshop in The Bahamas — Funds raised will support more bird banding training workshops, like this one held in The Bahamas in 2022, to build conservation capacity in the Caribbean.

These donations will continue to provide bands and other resources to Caribbean banders. They will also help us host and support more international training workshops, internships and additional training sessions. You can STILL donate to help us reach our goal (we are SO close). https://givebutter.com/BCGBD2023

How did our BirdsCaribbean Teams do in 2023?

Well… (drum roll)…

This is what we all want to know: what are the stats from this year’s team competition? Once again the multinational “Flying Pintails” led by Executive Director Lisa Sorenson topped the list! Not only did they see the most species – 702 – they topped all the other categories too! Including most West Indies Endemics – 52. We might need to change their team name to the “Dominant Ducks!”

With team members from a total of 14 countries, their impressive performance is perhaps not surprising. To put it in perspective, it works out to just 50 species per country, far less than for some ‘national teams’ totals! Perhaps Lisa needs to get her team working harder next year. . . Or, on second thought, maybe that’s not such a good idea!

Coming in second place on total species was another multi-national team, “President’s Perch” with 457, and the Globe-Trotting Todies trotted into third place in the total species seen with 271. (You can see a full round up in Figure 3 below.)

Table of teams results — Figure 3. Global Big Day results for our 17 BirdsCaribbean Teams. The numbers in red show which team had the highest number for each category.

The “Bee Hummers Dream Team” from Cuba deserves a special mention for getting the most people involved, with a fabulous 63 team members entering their species lists on eBird. They also saw an impressive 170 species within the West Indies (just beating the “Piping Pawis” from Trinidad, who saw 169). Some of these races were tight!

Selfie of group birding — Ciego Birding Club. Yaro Rodriguez friends Big Day birding in Cuba.

“Small is beautiful” for some teams!

Whilst the large multinational teams might have dominated in the ‘species seen’ stats (we’re looking at you “Flying Pintails”) when it came to species seen by each team member the smaller teams really shone. The nine team members in the “Far Flung Flock of Friends” totaled an impressive 25 species each (on average). Within the “national” teams, the “TCI Royal Terns” stood out with their three team members recording 20 species for each on average. That’s pretty intense! (you can see all the stats in Figure 4).

Figure 4. The average number of species seen per person for each of the 17 Global Big Day teams. Far Flung Flock of Friends saw the most birds per team member with an average of 25 species/person.

Biggest Big Day team birders

Of course, we shouldn’t forget the outstanding contributions of individual team members! This year we had some seriously impressive individual efforts. Topping the top team birders list was Beny Wilson, who was birding in Panama and recorded 164 species for the Flying Pintails !! For this fabulous feat, Beny wins some awesome BC swag!

Our top five birders (or birding duos) located anywhere (not necessarily in the Caribbean) on Big Day were:

164 Beny Wilson – Flying Pintails
161 Paul Rodewald – Flying Pintails
160 John Garrett- Flying Pintails
148 Holly Garrod & Joshua Covill – Globe Trotting Todies
118 Jeff Gerbracht – Flying Pintails

Our top five birders (or birding duos) with the most species in the West Indies were:

106 Alex Sansom and Mark Hulme – Trinidad and Tobago (Piping Pawis)
94 Eric Torres-Rivera – Puerto Rico (Warbling Warriors)
94 Ricel Polán Hernández – Cuba (Bee Hummers Dream Team)
85 Julio Salgado – Puerto Rico (Warbling Warriors)
80 Xavier Ragbir – Trinidad and Tobago (Piping Pawis)
78 Susan Davis – Bonaire (Flying Pintails)

Beny Wilson and friends birding in Panama for the Flying Pintails

Broad-billed Motmot one of 164 species seen by Beny!

Crimson-collared Tanager anther bird spotted by Beny!

Josh Covill and Holly Garrod birding for the Globe Trotting Todies

Jeff Gerbracht on Big Day birding for the Flying Pintails

On the trail of the island endemics

Of course, in the Caribbean, it isn’t all about how many species are seen. Global Big Day is also a chance for teams to find and record their endemic birds. On some islands, tracking down all the island endemics can be more of a challenge than others! But we should note that “Bajan Birders & Friends” and “Cayman Birding” both found ‘their’ endemic bird on Big Day.

Figure 5. Number and percent of endemics seen (by proportion) on Global Big Day, 2023.

The Warbling Warriors in Puerto Rico really stepped up to that challenge, finding all 16 endemics. The “Bee Hummers Dream Team” in Cuba, and the “Palmchatters” on Hispaniola also came pretty close to 100% of endemics seen. Well done to all!

Looking for Endemics a Puerto Rican Woodpecker. (Photo by Alice Falto)

Another endemic woodpecker! A West Indian Woodpecker spotted in Cuba. (Photo by Roberto Jovel)

Working hard for the endemics

Within the Caribbean some birders went that extra mile to find the region’s endemic birds. So we want to give a special mention to the following birders who had 20 or more West Indies Endemics on their GBD checklist on May 13th:

Adrian Corbas (Cuba) – 32

Ricel Polan Hernandez (Cuba) – 26

Wisdenilde Navarro (Cuba) – 21

Franklin Zakhur Howley-Dumit Serulle (Dominican Republic) – 20

Idania Garcia Castillo (Cuba) – 20

Eric Torres-Rivera (Puerto Rico) – 20

Every single bird recorded during our Global Big Day birding fundraiser counted towards our effort and every birder taking part helped make this year an amazing success! We also want to thank everyone who helped us raise funds and donated to help support bird banding in the Caribbean. It’s not too late to contribute to our 2023 fundraiser – we are so close to our $20,000 goal! Your donation will help us empower our local partners to learn more about Caribbean birds through bird band, building the region’s capacity for bird conservation through our Caribbean Bird Banding Network. https://givebutter.com/BCGBD2023

2023 BirdsCaribbean Global Big Day Teams

You can visit each birding team’s page profile on eBird to see maps of the team’s countries/ islands where birds were sighted and their checklists. You can also visit each team’s GiveButter page and donate to specific teams to help them reach their fundraising goal, or donate to the general campaign.

Common Gallinule seen by Julian Moore on Barbados during Big Day

Bajan Birders & Friends
Barbados
Team Leader: Julian Moore
eBird team page

Badass Bobwhites
Team leader: Justin Proctor
eBird team page

Cayman Birding
Cayman Islands
Team Leader: Kelsey Rae-Smith
eBird team page

Bee Hummers Dream Team
Cuba
Team Leader: Yaroddys Rodriguez & Nils Navarro
eBird team page

One Love Jamaica-Birders in the Blue Mountains

Far Flung Flock of Friends
Team Leader: Natasha Atkins
eBird team page

Flying Pintails
Team leader: Lisa Sorenson
eBird team page

Globe Trotting Todies
Team Leader: Holly Garrod & Maya Wilson
eBird team page

Grand Bahama Island Birders
Grand Bahama, The Bahamas
Team Leader: Rudy Sawyer
eBird team page

White-cheeked Pintail spotted by Flying Pintails member Micheil Oversteegan

Grenada Hook-billed Kites
Grenada
Team Leader: Jody Daniels
eBird team page

One Love Jamaican Birders
Jamaica
Team Leader: Justin Saunders
eBird team page

Peeping Cuckoos
Puerto Rico
Team Leader: Emilio Font
eBird team page

Piping Pawis
Trinidad
Team Leader: Giselle Ragoonanan
eBird team page

Learning about endemic birds in Trinidad with Giselle Ragoonanan on Global Big Day

President’s Perch
Team leader: Andrew Dobson
eBird team page

TCI Royal Terns
Turks and Caicos Islands
Team Leader: Simon Busuttil
eBird team page

Team Soualiga
Sint Maartin
Team Leader: Binkie van Es
eBird team page

The Palmchatters
Dominican Republic & Haiti
Team Leader: Andrea Thomen
eBird team page

Warbling Warriors
Puerto Rico
Team Leader: Adrianne Tossas & Alondra Norat
eBird team page

Gallery

Enjoy some more photos captured by members of BirdsCaribbean’s various Global Big Day teams on 13th May, 2023. (keep an eye out from more Big Day photos in our “Big Day Photo Contest” results).

Bananaquit-on-Aloe-Vera-flower-Aruba-Michiel

Birding-at-the-beach-PR-Twitter-Eric-Torres-Rivera

Birding-at-Tortuga-Shortcut-Triniddad-MarkHulme

Kim-Steve-and-Stan-of-the-Warbling-Warriors-(Chicagoland-branch)

Peeping-Cuckoos-members-Gladys-Hirsch-Emilio-Font-and-Carlos-Garcia-at-Punta-La-Esperanza-Cataño-Puerto-Rico-Claudia-Robiou

royal-tern-bonaire-salt-ponds-susan-davis

Yellow-billed-Parrot-in-flight-Simon-C-Shields

May 24, 2023

Making Connections and Measuring Molt: Experiences at a Second Bird Banding Workshop in the Dominican Republic

Person removing a cuckoo from a mist net — Elvin removing a cuckoo from a mist net. (Photo by Josh Covill)

BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Bird Banding Network recently held their second bird banding training workshop in the beautiful Dominican Republic. Read on for a delightful personal account of this workshop from local high-school teacher and dedicated Dominican biologist Elvin Manuel Vargas Estévez.

On the fresh morning of March 8th, 2023, in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, one of the most rewarding experiences of my life as a biologist would begin. I was participating in a Bird Banding Workshop organized by BirdsCaribbean. It sounds beautiful just to say it, but the true beauty lies in how and what happened there to consider it so valuable.

I must admit—I have always been a wildlife lover since I was a child. But my four-year-old self could never have imagined that I would have a bird in my hands, measuring its anatomical proportions, carefully observing the arrangement of its feathers, and eagerly looking for molt limits. However, today I feel immense excitement knowing that it is now part of my life, allowing me to continue to educate myself and contribute knowledge to avian conservation and society.

Setting up mist nets and sowing euphoria

On the first day of the workshop, my colleague Gerónimo Abreu and I were so excited to start the activities. We talked about what we wanted to do that day from the moment we woke up until we left our room. Once everything was ready, we headed to the main hall and dining room of the Ranch, where lead banding trainer Holly Garrod explained to us with great enthusiasm what we were going to do that day. With clear instructions, we took the necessary equipment and set off to explore the area that would be our morning workplace for the next four days.

The non-traditional, open-air classroom where learning, sharing and discussions took place during the workshop. (Photo by Elvin Estévez)

The process of setting up mist nets is an art that is not as boring as it may seem. Well, it’s true that it’s probably not the most exciting part of a bird bander’s day, but there is a certain magic in the process. The first time I saw a mist net was during a bird banding demonstration that Holly did at the Botanical Garden in Santiago. There I learned that setting up and taking down nets is like a climbing sport. We drive stakes firmly or look for a stable attachment, and “climb with the net” to maintain tension at all times. How interesting! Something as methodical and procedural as setting up a mist net can become fun if you look at it with different eyes.

I remember how the other participants were attentive to everything that moved, what the trainers said, and what more experienced banders did. Throughout that first day, I kept learning about the nets, observing how the more experienced bird banders worked, and learned how to enter banding data while eagerly waiting to hold and band a bird for the first time.

Photo of two people- a man and a woman, on a forest trail, closing a mist net. — Participants learned to set up and close mist nets during the workshop. (Photo by Josh Covill)

“Don’t be afraid, you are in control, not the bird”

As a child, I used to watch many programs on channels like Animal Planet and Discovery Channel with deep curiosity, as I have always found wildlife fascinating. However, animals did not captivate me solely for their majesty, such as lions and other big cats, or for their incredible sizes, like hippos and rhinos. For me, the greatest treasure in observing an animal is being able to understand its unique behavior and social interactions, at both inter- and intraspecific levels. That’s why I was so amazed when I started focusing more on birds as my birdwatching hobby developed. As fellow ornithologists and birders know, there is nothing more unique than a bird’s behavior.

The first time I held a bird in the context of bird banding was at the Santiago Botanical Garden. I was given the opportunity to release a freshly banded bird and it was a beautiful experience. However, it pales in comparison to the moment when I released a bird from its bag, held it properly, and took the necessary measurements before banding it and then releasing it. This whole process was so exciting for me that it came with a mix of nervousness.

When I was about to process my first bird, Juan Carlos (JC) Hernández Ordoñez was the one supervising my work. I am infinitely grateful to JC as he helped me learn the proper technique and gain confidence to safely handle a bird. I remember very clearly how at the beginning my nervousness caused my hands to shake a little when taking measurements and analyzing the bird. It was then that I heard JC say, “Don’t be afraid, you are in control, not the bird.”

Photo of a man holding a Palmchat in his hand. The bird has a silver band on its right leg. — Elvin banding a Palmchat. (Photo by Josh Covill)

That is when I realized that my nervousness, perhaps driven by the fear of hurting the bird, was only adding stress that was being transmitted to the animal. If you are nervous and stressed, the bird you are holding will be too. But if you control the situation and remain calm, the bird you are processing will eventually calm down as well.

By the end of the course, about five birds had passed through my hands, and all but one showed no signs of stress that would warrant a premature release. It is amazing to have an animal in your hands for the right purpose, and then release it knowing that someone, another bird bander or even a birdwatcher, may encounter it some day in the future. The banded bird connects us to a shared conservation goal and binds us to it in an intimate way.

Molt, molt, molt!

Wait, who said that it was only about knowing how to handle a bird, taking it out of the net, and banding it for release? That’s excellent, but I’m sure you’ll be interested in knowing the age of the individual you’re holding, or at least an approximation. Why is it useful for us to know the age of the bird we’re banding? Well, among many things, it allows us to understand the ecological role that the individual is playing, or will play in the near future. If it has already gone through a reproductive stage, if it will seek to reproduce soon, if it has recently left the nest. Or if it is simply a fully mature individual that has been interacting with the surrounding ecosystem for more than two years. Of course, in addition to age, there are other things we can learn with greater accuracy with a bird in the hand, such as its sex or health status, which, of course, will help us quantify and infer more aspects of the bird’s life cycle.

A bird in the hand allows us to learn about the age and health of the bird. (Photo by Josh Covill)

Molt, also known in birds as the replacement of feathers, is key to bird banders. These patterns of feather replacement, or molt patterns, can help us determine the age of a bird. When I first learned about molt, I was amazed by the beauty of this natural process in all birds. I admit that at first my “operating system” almost failed due to so much information to process. At that moment, I realized how we were all connected by another common interest throughout the workshop: molt! It was incredible. If we were at the banding table, we talked about molt. During and after lunch: more conversation about molt. Before sleeping: a study session on molt. We were obsessed with learning more and more about molt, practicing the Wolfe-Ryder-Pyle (WRP) method (a system for aging birds based on their different plumages) countless times, and even immersing ourselves in Peter Pyle’s book “The Identification Guide to North American Birds” as if it were our “bible.” How much I enjoyed all of that! As my friend Daniela Ventura said, we were becoming “molt nerds” and we were enjoying it.

Photo of three people looking at a bird's wing. The woman is standing and slightly bent over as she stretches the wing, the man in the middle is holding the bird and the third person, another man looks on. — Daniela and Elvin take a closer look at a bird’s wing while another participant Amonie Holas looks on. (Photo by Josh Covill)

The best part is realizing that we never really stop learning, because Pyle’s book does not have all data about all birds. In fact there are birds for which we have little or no data. Those occasions when we encountered individuals with unique molting strategies, challenging molt limits, and deceptive alternate (breeding) plumages were the perfect setting for creating a session where trainers discussed what the correct code would be to describe the age of the bird, and the rest of us watched attentively as these interesting analyses unfolded. The fact that you can always come across these unique and challenging situations is, for me, part of the magic that birds hold in their molt strategies.

Birds Connecting the Americas

Undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful things about the workshop is the opportunity to meet people with similar interests and visions. Since we arrived at Rancho Baiguate in Jarabacoa on the afternoon of March 7th (a day before the official start of the workshop), we realized this benefit. After dropping off our luggage in the assigned room, we immediately went to dinner and sat at a table with Holly, Maya, Steve, and Zoya. From that moment on, we got to know each other and had many conversations about various topics, and it was very enjoyable. But if there’s one thing that stands out above all else, it’s how birds were the center of many of those conversations. Yes, I understand it may seem obvious, but even though we knew we would meet people who shared the same love for birds and conservation as we do, it’s always an indescribable pleasure to be able to talk and connect in person. Throughout the workshop, we met and interacted with incredible people, and we expressed our desire to work together on different approaches, always revolving around birds.

Coming together to learn. Holly teaches the group about molt. (Photo by Maya Wilson)

Making lasting connections at the bird banding training workshop. From left to right: Daniela, Gerónimo, Elvin and Zoya.

Participants at the banding workshop, earlier this year, in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Joshua Covill)

Examining a Hispaniolan Woodpecker wing for signs of molt. (photo by Josh Covill)

Elvin banding a Black-throated Blue Warbler (photo by Maya-Wilson)

Finding common ground with people who share similar research and conservation interests is great because valuable knowledge is shared in those encounters. However, this would not amount to much if genuine connections are not formed—concrete connections that allow for efficient and organized collaboration. That’s why we were all very excited with the presentation of the BirdsCaribbean Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) network and the Institute of Bird Population’s monitoring program for overwintering migratory birds, otherwise known as MoSI (monitoreo sobrevivencia invernal). It’s fascinating!

I want to express how thrilled and engaged we all were when the CBB network was introduced. The fact that we are being presented with a way to stay connected is more valuable than it may seem because it encourages more organized efforts: joint research proposals, shared databases, and fundraising for future projects. Similarly, I find the MoSI program incredible as it specifically focuses on connecting different bird banding stations where data on molt and plumage condition of banded species are provided. What does this do for us? It helps us primarily to understand how birds are changing their molt strategies, which, in addition to updating our records, helps us understand how species are being affected by various factors such as habitat loss and climate change.

My Plus/Delta

The Plus/Delta dynamic was key to the performance and experience we had in the workshop. Every afternoon, we took a moment to discuss the positives of the day (the “Plus”) and what we wanted to improve on in the next day’s work session (the “Delta”). It was very productive, as we listened to each other’s daily experiences, had the opportunity to share our achievements, and set goals for the next day. It is very gratifying to remember how, thanks to Plus/Delta, Gerónimo and I reflected on something that filled me with particular joy and satisfaction.

At the beginning of the article, I mentioned how after each morning’s banding session, we would casually talk about the things we were able to accomplish and say, “But tomorrow I want to be able to do this.” And that’s how, thanks to our trainers and fellow workshop participants, we were able to accomplish each and every one of those things we said we wanted to do.

My Plus, as some of us would say at the end, was the entire workshop. I am infinitely grateful for the opportunity to connect with so many incredible people through birds, and at the same time, learn so much alongside them. My experience was invaluable, and I am satisfied with everything I was able to achieve in those five days. The fact that I was able to band birds for the first time and know that I had the opportunity to contribute useful knowledge through it is amazing. The mini-courses on molt were amazing, our shared obsession made us connect so much that there was not a moment during the workshop when we were not making references to WRP codes or molt limits. Even during the farewell dinner, while we talked about everything, references to aspects of molt in birds would occasionally arise, and it was fascinating.

Photo of group of people- two men and three women, all standing side by side and facing the camera. The man in the middle is holding a certificate. — Elvin receiving his Certificate of Achievement from Holly and Juan Carlos (JC).

And what about my Delta? My Delta is a collection of things. It is clear that I want to continue to educate myself to grow this newly created wonderful network of bird banders in the Caribbean. In addition to that, I want to fight to make my country, the Dominican Republic, a place where ornithology, conservation, and science in general receive their deserved recognition and support from society and authorities. The love or curiosity for nature is in some way part of all human beings, but it is clear that not everyone can be expected to understand the complex ecological processes behind the beauty of the natural world.

Beyond that, I understand that in every nation, there must be a solid system where anyone willing to serve through scientific knowledge can find support and guidance. For this reason, one of my long-term goals (a goal that is shared by many of us attending the workshop) is to advocate for the reinforcement of the importance of avian conservation and government support for research related to it, both in the Dominican Republic and throughout the entire Caribbean.

About Elvin: Elvin Manuel Vargas Estévez, is biologist interested in bird behavior and avian conservation, from the Dominican Republic. He is a high-school science teacher at O&M Hostos School in Santiago and also volunteers with the Santiago Botanical Garden to survey and monitor the bird population in the Garden. Elvin is incredibly passionate about inspiring and educating the next generation of nature enthusiasts. He hopes to continue learning about birds and acquiring new skills that will help him make a positive impact in bird and wildlife conservation.

Acknowledgements: BirdsCaribbean thanks the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service International Programs, and all of our members and donors whose support helped make this workshop and our Caribbean Bird Banding Network possible.

To learn more about our Banding Workshops and Caribbean Bird Banding Network, check out the links below:

Put a band on it: Updates from our First-ever Caribbean Bird Banding Training

Caribbean Bird Banding Network

A Cuban Banding Workshop Caps off a Great Year for the Caribbean Bird Banding Network

May 19, 2023

Wetlands are for Wildlife Not Trash: EAG Installs Shorebird Signs to Deter Illegal Dumping

Shorebird Sign featuring a Spotted Sandpiper with a group of people — At the unveiling of the information sign featuring a Spotted Sandpiper, at Shell Beach, Antigua. (Photo by wadadliunplugged.com).

Illegal dumping of trash is a problem at some of Antigua’s wetlands, including those that are Important Bird Areas (IBAs). These places are vitally important for migratory shorebirds, who, after traveling thousands of kilometers, need a winter home that is safe and clean, not full of trash! Wildlife Officer, Joshel Wilson from the NGO ‘The Environmental Awareness Group’ (EAG) tells us about efforts by EAG and the ‘Wadadli Warblers’ Birding Club to use shorebird themed signs to reduce this problem and make these important wetlands havens for wildlife as well as more enjoyable for people to visit.

The Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) is Antigua and Barbuda’s oldest non-governmental environmental organization and has been at the forefront of conservation work for over 30 years. From restoring offshore islands and saving species from extinction to education, community engagement, and influencing environmental policy, the EAG works collaboratively to enact environmental change in Antigua and Barbuda.

Core to our work is our aspiration to have “a society with individual and collective responsibility to care for and value biodiversity and ecosystems for the long-term benefit of people and wildlife.” To do that, we stand strongly on integrity and the belief that environmental work should not only be worthwhile but also interesting and satisfying, with a hint of adventure.

Silver Linings During the Pandemic

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EAG promoted a virtual bird identification training that would allow participants, specifically Antiguans and Barbudans, to enjoy birding in their backyards. Following the six intense training sessions, the ‘Wadadli Warblers’ Birding Club was formed in May 2020. The club now has 35 members who participate in monthly birding expeditions across the island, regularly sharing bird photos, bird calls, and videos in their WhatsApp group. Once fully trained in Bird ID and survey methods we thought that the Wadadli Warblers would be the perfect partners to assist with conducting the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) surveys. As such, they have collaborated with the EAG in 2021 and 2022, assisting with monitoring and data collection and allowing individuals from the club to contribute to citizen science, which will lead to better management of IBAs on the island.

Birders taking a selfie — The Wadadli Warblers birding group out on a waterbird survey in Antigua during the Caribbean Waterbird Census 2022. (Photo by EAG/ Wadadli Warblers)

Wetlands with a Problem

During the EAG’s Caribbean Waterbird Census survey and Trash Challenge initiative (our country-wide wetland clean-up days), it had been noted that there is significant illegal dumping at IBAs in Antigua, despite potential fines of EC$3000-$15,000 for littering. This issue poses threats to the resident and migratory birds that live in and visit these important areas.

Wilson's Plover — Wilson’s Plover, Antigua. (Photo by EAG/ Wadadli Warblers)

Trash at a wetland in Antigua — Illegal dumping is a problem at Antigua’s important wetlands. (Photo by Joshel Wilson)

Whimbrel in flight — A Whimbrel flies over a salt salt pond on Antigua. (Photo by EAG/ Wadadli Warblers)

But what could be done to reduce this illegal dumping of trash? During this project we aimed to tackle the issue by raising awareness about the importance of shorebird protection in Antigua and Barbuda, thereby increasing public participation in conservation efforts. We also aimed to reduce illegal dumping at IBAs through the development of informative shorebird signs, working with the Wadadli Warblers to make this happen!

Shorebird Signs Show the Way

I am excited to share with you the success of this project, led by the Wadadli Warblers Birding Club and supported by the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG), aimed at improving shorebird habitats and discouraging illegal dumping in Antigua and Barbuda. As part of the project, six signs were designed and installed at Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas where shorebirds are found and illegal dumping is an issue.

five shorebird signs — Five of the six signs featuring shorebirds and waterbirds in situ at their wetland sites in Antigua. (Photos by Deri Benjamin and Joshel Wilson)

We successfully achieved our project objectives by implementing several activities, starting with selecting suitable sites that met specific criteria. Data collected during previous Caribbean Waterbird Censuses (CWC) was used to identify sites with high shorebird presence, illegal dumping issues, and easy public access. The Wadadli Warblers formed a sign committee comprised of eight members, five men and three women, to assess the areas and select the six major site locations that met the criteria.

During the sign-planning process engaging with landowners was a crucial aspect of the project to ensure that the signs were in maximum view of the public. We also developed a plan that outlined the benefits of installing the signs for landowners, such as increased awareness of the importance of shorebirds and their habitats and reduced illegal dumping in the area. The landowners were visited to discuss the benefits of the signs and address any concerns that they had.

Shorebird Sign, discouraging illegal dumping and featuring a Whimbrel. (Sign by Patrick Joseph aka Stooge Co.)

Once the sites were identified and landowners were on board, the Wadadli Warblers’ Sign Committee was tasked with developing the content for the signs. They worked with a graphic designer, Patrick Joseph, principal of Stooge Co., to create unique signs. Once the designs were finalized they were created by sign printer, Select Signs and Graphix, using high-quality materials. This is important as these new signs need to withstand the high winds and salty conditions at the sites where they are installed.

Cleaning Up and Raising Awareness

A Wetland clean-up during “Trash Challenge” on Antigua. (Photo by Sherrel Charles/ EAG)

In addition to installing the signs, we conducted clean-ups at some of our target wetlands, including Darkwood Beach, Shell Beach, Ffryes Beach, Fitches Creek Mangrove, and Johnson’s Point. Our clean-ups were a collaboration between the Wadadli Warblers Birding Club, EAG members, the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Youth Today, and the Parham Alliance for the Beautification and Revitalization Organization (PABRO), in a local effort to reduce waste along our coasts. This activity helped raise awareness of the impact of illegal dumping on shorebird habitats while also keeping the areas clean and free of waste.

To ensure the public was aware of the newly erected signs, an unveiling was held at Shell Beach on February 6, 2023, accompanied by a birding session with the Department of Environment, the Ministry of Tourism, members of the Wadadli Warblers Birding Club, EAG Board members, the National Solid Waste Management Authority, and media personnel from Antigua/Barbuda Broadcasting Services and Wadadli Unplugged.

A Brighter Future for Wetlands and Shorebirds

Bird watching — Looking out for Shorebirds! Birdwatching at the sign unveiling, Shell Beach, Antigua. (Photo by wadadliunplugged.com)

The project’s success was further cemented by partnering with the Ministry of Tourism’s Sustainable Tourism Unit to promote avi-tourism as a viable option in Antigua and Barbuda. Bird tourism could potentially be used by the EAG as sustainable financing, increasing our ability to manage more areas for shorebird protection in the future!

I am thrilled to have been part of a project that successfully achieved its objectives, and I commend the Wadadli Warblers Sign Committee, the Ministry of Tourism, and all those involved in making it a reality. This project’s success shows that with dedication, hard work, and collaboration, we can make a positive impact on our environment and promote sustainable tourism.

This project was made possible with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada via a BirdsCaribbean grant to EAG.

May 16, 2023

A Cuban Banding Workshop Caps off a Great Year for the Caribbean Bird Banding Network

In 2022, Cuba held its first ever bird banding workshop, part of BirdsCaribbean’s ongoing efforts to build a banding community in the Caribbean. Find out more about bird banding in Cuba and about how the workshop went from Cuban bird bander and ornithologist Daniela Ventura.

A bird bander holds a Cuban Green Woodpecker — Daniela Ventura banding a Cuban Green Woodpecker supervised by banding trainer Juan Carlos Fernández Ordóñez (Photo by Holly Garrod)

The year 2022 was pivotal for bird banding in the Caribbean. Earlier in March, the first Caribbean Bird Banding Workshop was held in The Bahamas. Bird researchers and conservationists from several islands, attended with the goal of learning about ethical and scientific banding protocols and acquiring the skills to successfully run their own banding stations. The long-term dream is to develop a network of collaborators, spread across the region, that can contribute with insights into bird movements and population status of migratory and resident species. This event alone would have sufficed to call the year a landmark. But we Caribbeans like to think BIG.

Therefore, the Caribbean Biological Corridor (CBC) partnered with BirdsCaribbean to host the first ever Banding Workshop in Cuba, which took place from November 4^th to the 18^th in Santiago de Cuba. Cuba being the largest island in the region with the longest banding tradition, is an essential part of this network. The goal of this workshop was ambitious: gather people and institutions with current banding protocols in the island to organize them into a National and Regional Banding Network and host a North America Banding Council (NABC) certification. NABC certification is widely accepted as the banding standard throughout the Americas. This is the certification that BirdsCaribbean is aiming to use as part of the Caribbean Bird Banding Network.

This workshop represented a milestone in my bird banding career. Back in March, I would not have imagined that my banding skills were going to be tested that soon. The NABC certification is a rigorous process of theoretic and practical exams that evaluates your abilities and knowledge in bird banding, according to the standards and practice of that institution. I accepted the challenge. It meant a great incentive to boost my skills, and if I became certified, I would be confident enough to pursue my long-cherished dream of starting my own banding station in Havana. With those motivational thoughts in mind, and the prospects of seeing some eastern endemic birds that I don’t get to see often, I embarked on the wearisome 12-hours bus trip to Santiago. It would prove to be worth it.

A very long and thin island

Havana, the capital city and my hometown, is 868 km away from Santiago de Cuba, the second most important city in the country, which is famous for its carnival and its scorching sun all year round. The tiresome road trip was endurable thanks to the best company I could possibly have: my friends Esteban Márquez and Juan Carlos Fernández (JC). Their good humor guaranteed the trip was joyful. Actually, sometimes I was just about to doze off and JC interrupted it with a joke. During the long journey to Santiago, we were picking up participants from other provinces.

Processing a bird at a banding station — Arnaldo Toledo checking the molt on an Oriente Warbler at the banding station. (Photo By Daniela Ventura)

The ride took us all night and so we arrived at our destination at the same time the first dawn chorus of birds began singing. The Ecological Reserve Siboney Juticí is a karstic landscape of marine terraces—ancient ocean floor now elevated gazing at the Caribbean Sea. The typical coastal shrubby and thorny vegetation is a paradise for migratory warblers and plenty of Cuban endemics, like the Oriente Warbler, Cuban Gnatcatcher, and Cuban Bullfinch. It was a perfect location for the longest running banding station in Cuba, named after the German scientist that was a pioneer of Cuban ornithology: Juan Cristóbal Gundlach. The first four days of the workshop were scheduled to be spent here, coinciding with the monthly period of banding sessions occurring at the station.

We arrived yawning and with sleepy eyes, only to meet an incredible welcoming committee. Freddy Rodríguez Santana, the leader of the station and the most dedicated and diligent workshop organizer, received us with a beaming smile. The station and protected area staff were also cheerful and active, almost as if it wasn’t 5 am in the morning! They seemed ready to start working and I, honestly, was only longing for a bed.

We didn’t have to wait for long for coffee and breakfast. Behind that magic brew that stirred us all a little, was the heart and soul of the banding station: Emelina. She is the keystone that holds the station and everyone together. Eme (as colleagues called her lovingly) is more than the excellent cook that prepares the delicious food and drinks that keeps you sane in the melting hot weather. She is also a kind and caring woman so all of us, workers and visitors alike, become instantly her spoiled children.

When the introductions were over, Freddy quickly rushed us to the rooms, so we could settle in and rest a few hours before the work started. The objective of the day was setting up the mist nests for the upcoming banding session, and to officially inaugurate the workshop.

Learning about Cuba’s longest running banding station

Checking mist nets — Mariam Curbelo checks mist nets during a net run. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)

The workflow of a constant-effort banding station has a unique flavor. For twelve years, researchers of BIOECO and the staff of the protected area (some of whom have banding training and certification from Germany) have conducted monthly banding sessions at the reserve. Not even hurricanes nor a pandemic have stopped their committed work. We witnessed its smooth organization from the moment we arrived. Each person plays an invaluable role, from the field technicians that know the exact location of every single net, to the researchers that band the birds and take the data. Setting up the nets is an essential process of every banding protocol. A total of 22 nets are placed along three different trails. The park’s staff kindly took their time to show us and guide us through the process step by step. Left alone they would have done the job in less than half an hour. That is how well they do their job!

With the nets ready to start banding the next day, we headed to the classroom to receive the official welcoming. Thirteen participants from all around Cuba, and my friend Esteban from Venezuela, were going to receive training in the nitty-gritties of banding birds for scientific endeavors. Esteban’s main motivation, along with another three of us, was taking the NABC exam that would allow us to be the first Caribbean certified banders. Even though the stakes were high, we had the best teachers: Holly Garrod and JC Fernández, NABC trainers, and of course, the staff at the JCG station with their gathered experience of 12 years of nonstop field work.

A season of Blackpoll Warblers

Male Blackpoll Warbler winter plumage — A male Blackpoll Warbler in fall migration and winter plumage. Males in breeding plumage in spring look very different—they have a black cap and white cheek patch. (Photo by Anthony Levesque)

I was expecting to meet and get a closer look at birds that I can’t find so easily at mist-nets in western Cuba. But Blackpoll Warblers were a treat beyond my wildest daydreams. I had the privilege to band a few of the dozens of individuals we caught during these three days. Blackpolls are world champions in the bird migration contest. Some individuals are known to fly up to 8,000 km from their breeding grounds in Alaska to their wintering areas in Brazil. They also take a route that leads them to fly out over the Atlantic Ocean sometimes three-days long without making any stop. That easterly path is the reason why they are more commonly found in places like Santiago, and very rare in the western side of Cuba.

Uncommon birds for me, but the daily bread for our banding colleagues in Santiago, were Cape May Warblers and Black-throated Blue Warblers. Cape-Mays can be very tricky to age and sex, because there are a lot of individual variability and overlap, but Black-throated proved easier for me. These challenges of new species were just exactly what we needed to get ready for the NABC exam. A bander must also be prepared to deal with species that he or she has never encountered before. That is why learning the theory behind molt strategies and molt extents in bird families in general is a requirement for getting a better understanding on the topic. And why we not only had the morning sessions at the banding table, but presentations about these subjects in the afternoons. Luckily, we had Emelina´s miraculous coffee to keep our brains working!!

Butter butts in the cloud mountains

La Gran Piedra Biological Station sign. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)

Packing jackets and scarves are not something you would expect for a banding trip to Santiago, which is known as the “tierra caliente” or “hot land” to Cubans. But precisely because I am a daughter of the tropics, temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius already make me shiver. The second part of our banding training was going to take place in the cloud evergreen forest of Santiago’s mountains. From the melting sun and heat of Siboney, we moved to the chilly weather of Gran Piedra biological station. The landscape was surreal. We got up before dawn every day, only to walk into a never-ending cloud. We felt the moisture dampening our clothes and boots, and chilling our bones to the core… Ok ok, you might think I am exaggerating. But if you do not believe me, ask Holly, who knows the winter in cold Montana and was as frozen as me. Luckily, even the sun warms up there, so as the day grew old, the temperature got mildly cozy, neither too cold nor too hot—the perfect weather for banding.

Female Yellow-rumped Warbler, showing off her “butter butt.” (Photo by Karen Gallo)

And the perfect weather too for some northern warblers that do not usually migrate far south, it seemed. I had never seen a Yellow-rumped Warbler before, and for that week at Gran Piedra, I must confess I almost got tired of them. There were just too many, an incredible and rare event not only in Santiago, but in Cuba. These birds are known to be facultative migrants, which means there are years when most of the population ventures farther south, and there are others when they mostly stay close to their breeding areas. Scientists do not yet understand well the mechanisms regulating these cycles, but they believe it has something to do with their favorite food, caterpillars, which also have complicated population cycles. Imagine our bewilderment when during one net check there were 15 “butter butts” in just a single net, waiting for us to band them. They proved a “hard pill to swallow” because of the variation in their winter plumage.

Esteban and I were actually quite worried we that we might end up with a somewhat tricky Yellow-rumped during our NABC exam. And if you know Murphy´s Law, well as a matter of fact, that was just what happened. But it allowed us to practice our skills before the exam. An important lesson we learned during that week was that in this banding business, accuracy is better than precision. If we are not certain of a bird’s age or sex, it is better to be less precise by saying “I honestly don’t know”. Bander’s ethics are important not only regarding bird safety, but also to ensure the quality of the data we are gathering.

Uncovering the mysteries of Cuba’s iconic endemics

We also had the chance to band some of the more stunning and iconic endemics, like the Cuban Tody, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, and Cuban Trogon. The study of our resident birds has for a long-time been a pending subject of Caribbean ornithology. There are mysteries waiting to be unraveled and bird banding can allow us to unearth some of them. For example, it can help us decipher the reason behind todies having both blue and brown eyes. Or if there might be size or plumage differences among the sexes in trogons where males and females appear to look identical. I was lucky to band one of the two Cuban Trogons we caught at the nets. These were also the first Trogons ever banded in the Gran Piedra station!! This was a great opportunity for me to practice the cone-shape or “ice cream” grip, the handling method used for birds with short tarsus (the lower part of a bird’s leg) like trogons. Using the appropriate handling technique for each bird is one of the first lessons for a bander to master. Our aim is to always improve and update our knowledge and practice to ensure bird safety.

Mountain views from La Gran Piedra Biological Station in Santiago de Cuba

Testing Times

Three people look at a book about bird molt — Daniela and Josmar consult Pyle the bird bander’s “bible” and discuss molt with JC. (Photo by Mariam Curbelo)

The days passed in a blur of banding practice in the morning, molt theory during the afternoons, and night outings to marvel at the pair of Stygian Owls that lived in the pine trees surrounding the banding station. But for the four of us who had a rapidly approaching and demanding exam, our days also included a lot of study of Pyle, the bird bander’s “bible,” looking through wing pictures, and reading of the bander’s study guide. Eventually, the first day of the certification arrived. The examiners put to test our abilities at extracting birds from the nets, and also our handling and banding skills. The practical exam also included the setting up of mist nets.

That afternoon, we had the most dreaded and unnerving part of the certification: the four-hour long written exam that comprised questions ranging from bird safety to molt theory. We needed a minimum of 80% of correct answers to be qualified as banders. I remember the feeling of relief when I handed my exam sheet to Holly. Evaluations were not finished yet, so I went to bed tired but at least more relaxed knowing that the toughest part was over. During the remaining sessions we were going to be examined in the use and understanding of the Pyle guide, and a test where we were expected to accurately identify species, age, and sex from 10 bird photos.

Supporting Success

As we were drawing near the end of the certification, exhaustion and tension were high. I must acknowledge the supportive spirit of the workshop participants, the station’s staff, and our examiners alike. They all put up their best smiles, and constantly cheered us on. Emelina almost fed us too much and made us drink nearly too much coffee. But I don’t have enough “thank you” words for every person that tolerated my stressful humor or made me laugh those days. I know that I owe them a huge debt that I can now call myself a NABC certified bander!!

For in the end, thanks to our trainers and all the support I received, I achieved my goal – I left the workshop as a NABC certified bander, as did Josmar! Later, two of my Cuban colleagues Carmen Plasencia Leon and Arnaldo Toledo, would finish the final portion of the exam and leave the second BirdsCaribbean Banding Workshop in the Dominican Republic (February 2023) as NABC banders. Back in Fall 2022, Zoya Buckmire from Grenada received her NABC certification whilst interning at Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) in Oregon. This means that in the last year the Caribbean Bird Banding Network has now helped the first five Caribbean banders get their NABC bander certification. This lays the foundation for the future growth of the network.

Oriente Warbler being handled by a bird bander — Processing a recaptured Oriente Warbler, a Cuban endemic and a focal bird at Santiago´s banding scheme. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)

Group walks a long a road to open mist nets — Partipants heading to-open mist nests placed alongside the road at La Gran Piedra Biological Station. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)

Bander handling a bird — Arnaldo Toledo reads a combination of metal and color bands on an Oriente Warbler. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)

I said earlier that the Cuba Banding Workshop was a milestone. But it wasn´t because I proved myself in a challenging exam. It was the invaluable lesson that if we as a country want to have a broad understanding of our bird population dynamics, we have to work with a team spirit. We have to go for independence and self-sufficiency and develop our own research objectives, and training opportunities. This workshop was the first step towards that ambitious goal.

About Daniela: I have a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and I am part of the Bird Ecology Group of the University of Havana. As a professor trainee I give lectures and seminars in Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology. I am also a graduate student. My research interests include bird population dynamics, movements, and migration. I am a passionate bird bander and molt nerd, and recently created a banding station at the National Botanical Garden in Havana, a dream project of mine. I believe that long-term monitoring of bird populations will greatly increase our knowledge about the ecology of our resident and understudied species, and will highlight the importance of Cuba and the Caribbean as a wintering and stopover site for Neotropical migrants.

Science communication and public outreach are also very close to my heart. Organizing activities for the Caribbean Bird Endemic Festival and World Migratory Bird Day, and managing the social media accounts of the Bird Ecology Group on Instagram and Facebook, perfectly combine my interests in bird conservation and public outreach. I am a fervent advocate of the idea that research needs to be shared in every step of the process, and that science must be taken out of the ivory tower of academia and be made by and for all people. Empowering locals and creating community alongside building conservation networks should be the goal of all Caribbean islands. As a proud member of BirdsCaribbean, my dream is to keep contributing to the development and success of bird research projects in the region, as well as educating the next generation of conservationists.

Acknowledgements: BirdsCaribbean thanks all of our members and donors whose support helped make this workshop and our Caribbean Bird Banding network possible.

April 16, 2023

On Global Big Day 2023 We Band Together for Caribbean Birds and their Conservation

We’ll be participating in this year’s Global Big Day (GBD)—the biggest birding day of the year—on Saturday, May 13, 2023, and raising funds to grow our Caribbean Bird Banding Network.

We are bringing back our popular teams competition, and celebrating together the bird diversity, excitement, and camaraderie that’s associated with Global Big Day.

Last year, Global Big Day virtually brought together more than 51,000 birders from 201 countries and submitted 132,000 checklists with eBird. This is the current world record for a single day of birding.

For BirdsCaribbean, the event was also successful—15 teams with members from 29 countries reported a total of 1,078 species and raised $13 734. We had so much fun doing this. Together we can make this year even better! Learn more below and on our Global Big Day GiveButter Teams page – join the fun here!

24 hours of learning, counting and sharing

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 period of time. This event helps scientists understand global bird populations and raises awareness of issues affecting them—and we need your help to do it!

No matter where you are, you can submit 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.

But birding is more enjoyable when done with a friend or a group. We are again calling on our community to bird together in virtual teams (you can decide if you want to join your national team or not) 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 grow our Caribbean Bird Banding Network by providing bands and other resources to Caribbean banders, providing more training opportunities and supporting bird banding projects across the islands.

You can join/re-join one of the 15 teams from last year or create a new team! Last year the Bee Hummers Dream Team from Cuba swept the competition. Will your team be the one to end their reign?

Participating in GBD is Simple

Clicking the JOIN button on the campaign page. You can choose to join an existing team OR create your own team.
The ‘Join a Team’ button is located just below the header graphic.

If you choose to create a team, personalize it with a fun name, photos and your own lingo. NOTE: if you are outside the US or Canada, we will need to assist you with the first step of creating your own team; after this you will be able to manage the team (email Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org and she will get you set up pronto!)

All team leaders and members 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 Caribbean Bird Banding Network,

(2) helping to raise funds for Caribbean bird research and conservation, and

(3) promoting Global Big Day, citizen science, and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.

and/or . . .

2. Making a donation to one of the birding and fundraising teams.

By doing so, you will have (1) helped advance knowledge of Caribbean birds through bird banding which gives us a more detailed look at birds’ life histories, and (2) encouraged that team to give it their all on Global Big Day.

and/or . . .

3. Committing to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 13), being sure to keep track of what you see and then entering that information into eBird. We hope everyone will do this, whether or not they join a team or fundraise.

Group of birders in the Dominican Republic. Photo by Zara Palmer.

This will be a fun event to fundraise for and get excited about birds! Be ready to visit birding hotspots or set yourself up in a safe place* 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 this is Important

The insular Caribbean is a critical region for birds. There are 176 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 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 sustainable preservation of island birds and their habitats.

How your Donation Will be Used

This Global Big Day fundraiser will support the Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) Network, allowing us to continue providing bands and other resources to Caribbean banders, host more international training workshops , support Caribbean banders to attend internships (read about Zoya’s incredible internship at Klamath Bird Observatory) or other opportunities to practice and develop their skills, and grow and expand this network to more Caribbean islands.

Bird Banding Training Workshop participant David Walters placing a band on the leg of a Palm Warbler. Photo by Josh Covill.

You can learn more about the CBB Network on our website. Please also join us for our upcoming CBB Network webinar series:

The first webinar, ‘Banding Together – Creating the Caribbean Bird Banding Network, Part 1’ will be held on Friday, April 21 at 2 PM EDT. Join the BirdsCaribbean Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) Network live and learn what bird banding is, its applications and how it can change the future of Caribbean bird conservation.

Register and save your spot here: bit.ly/Carib-Bird-Banding1

The second webinar “Banding Together—Creating the Caribbean Bird Banding Network, Part 2” will be held on Thursday, May 4th at 4 pm EDT. Several Caribbean Bird Banding (CBB) Network members, including Daniela Ventura del Puerto (Cuba), Zoya Buckmire (Grenada), Hector Andujar (Dominican Republic), and Dayamiris Candelario (Puerto Rico), will share what they have gained from being part of this initiative, and exciting plans for expanding bird banding in the Caribbean.

Register and save your spot here: bit.ly/Carib-Bird-Banding2

As with everything in the Caribbean, we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do this together! We need your help to do this!

Team Up to WIN

Prizes will be awarded to

the team that raises the most funds
the team with the most creative name and stylish fundraising page
the team that sees the most bird species on Global Big Day
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)

And others, TBD!

https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2022/06/global-big-day-2022-birdscaribbean-continues-record-breaking-streak/

https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2021/05/birdscaribbeans-global-big-day-essential-checklist-for-all-birders/

March 15, 2023

Cuba’s BIG YEAR of Birding!

Big Year Cuba 2022 was a year-long birdwatching extravaganza, with birders—old, new, and in-between—across the largest island in the Caribbean competing to observe and record the highest number of species. Our Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, attended the Awards Ceremony in January. Here we share the amazing results of the competition and its likely impact upon the Cuban population and bird conservation.

The Big Year Cuba 2022 poster featured the charismatic and endemic Cuban Tody.

Together, Cuba’s pandemic crisis and the rise in the access to and use of social media, escalated the local tradition of keeping wild migratory and endemic birds in cages into a likely harmful and unsustainable illegal bird trade. Songbird capture and sales increased dramatically in Cuba over the period 2020-2022 and traffickers smuggling birds from Cuba have been seized at airports in Miami. Both Cuban and international conservation NGOs were alarmed by this dramatic increase. In response, they organized a ‘Big Year Cuba’ in 2022.

The year-long competition encouraged Cubans to don their Citizen Scientist caps and explore their island, while enjoying the birds in their natural habitats rather than in cages. Cuban birder and conservationist, Yaro Rodriguez, came up with the idea for Big Year Cuba. It was his hope that this competition would increase the number of birdwatchers in Cuba and birding hotspots on the island. Most importantly, however, Yaro’s goal was to strengthen and unify the position of the Cuban community of birdwatchers in their role as conservationists.

A small organizing committee was formed in Fall 2021 to plan the rules and guidelines for the competition. This included Yaro, Nils Navarro (Cuban artist, ornithologist and bird guide), Vladimir Mirabel (editor, The Cuban Birder magazine), Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean). Generous sponsors (BirdsCaribbean, Optics for the Tropics, Environment for the Americas, and Caribbean Conservation Trust) kindly stepped up to offer cash and other prizes for the winners as well additional prizes for all who competed.

The contest was shared widely via social media on active and growing Cuban Birding Facebook pages and through The Cuban Birder magazine. Competing birdwatchers were required to submit their observations, via checklists, to eBird.

It was an intense year of fraternal competition among the Cuban birdwatchers to register the highest number of species, and the results were amazing. A total of 79 birders from 13 provinces (out of 15) were registered for the competition; 13 were women. Five birdwatchers recorded more than 200 species during the year and more than half of the competitors reported 100 species or more. Today almost the entire island is covered by active observers, contributing to eBird checklists daily.!

Awards Ceremony of the Big Year Cuba 2022

The Awards Ceremony was held at the ranch of the Monte Barreto Ecological Park on January 28, 2023, and attended by Cuban birdwatchers, ornithologists, and conservationists, along with colleagues from Optics for the Tropics, Environment for the Americas, and the Caribbean Conservation Trust. BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, was also present at the ceremony to celebrate this historic achievement and help with awarding of prizes.

Photo of two women on stage facing forward and standing side by side. One woman is holding papers while the other makes a speech. The backdrop reads "Gran Ano Cuba" with a photo of a birder watching birds with binoculars to the left and birds flying on the right. — BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Dr. Lisa Sorenson congratulating the Organizing Committee and all birdwatchers for making it a highly successful event.

Renowned Cuban artist and ornithologist Nils Navarro opened the ceremony, sharing some of the challenges and rewards of organizing a competition of this magnitude. He highlighted the importance of joining other conservation projects in Cuba to make it a success. He also expressed his pleasure in seeing the genuine enthusiasm among Cuban birdwatchers. As a result of this initiative, areas that no one had observed before can now be explored, as in the case of Media Luna, in the south of Granma. Nils said that his colleague Ricel Polán was able to document, for the first time in the history of Cuban ornithology, the presence of the Caribbean Swallow (Progne dominicensis) nesting in that area!

Photo of group of people-one woman and four men- standing on stage. — Members of the organizing committee with winners of the Big Year Cuba competition.

Following this introduction, the highly anticipated winners of the Big Year Cuba 2022 were announced. Alejandro Llanes Sosa won 1st Place with a record of 261 species observed, Carlos Hernández Peraza came in 2nd Place with 242 species, and Sergio Luis del Castillo took home 3rd Place with 223 species. Their full testimonies can be found in the February 2023 issue of The Cuban Birder. Special Mentions were given to other birders who observed and recorded over 100 species. Lastly, Muhammed Halim Machado was recognized for having registered the 400th species in Cuban avifauna: the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus).

First Place winner Alejandro Sosa.

Second Place winner Carlos Peraza.

Third Place winner Sergio del Castillo.

The ceremony ended with old and new friends mingling over delicious Cuban food and drink, including mojitos.

Photo of groups of people standing and talking to each other. s — Invited guests mingle over mojitos at the Awards Ceremony.

The truth is in the eBird data

First place winner Alejandro Llanes in the field making sure he does not miss a bird.

According to eBird statistics, during 2022 Cuba showed a sustained growth in the number of uploaded checklists – placing it, for several months, among the most dynamic countries in the world. For example, in November 2022 the number of checklists grew by 145% compared to November of the previous year; in August, by 126%; in April, by 338% and in March, by 185%.

Between 2015 and 2018, only 30 Cubans signed up for eBird. This number rose to 161 between 2019 and 2022. There has been a significant increase in the number of active Cubans on the platform in the last 4 years!

With respect to participation in Global Big Day, from 2018 to 2020 only 43 observers participated. However, between 2021 and 2022 the participation was significantly higher with a total of 193 birdwatchers.

The number of birding hot spots also increased in Cuba from 237 in June 2021 to 361 at the end of December 2022. The number of reported species also grew in the same period from 361 to 375.

The future of birdwatching and conservation in Cuba

Big Year Cuba 2022 was met with great enthusiasm and commitment by Cubans to expand their knowledge of the incredible bird diversity on the island. The Organizing Committee is already thinking about the next Big Year Cuba competition in 2024, but until then they will continue to foster respect for wild birds and their habitats, across the island.

As a result of Big Year Cuba, many new birding clubs have launched in a number of individual provinces, encouraging more Cubans to enjoy watching and studying wild birds rather than trapping and keeping them in cages. Cuban Birding Facebook pages, including Club de Observadores de Aves Cuba and Aves de Cuba and others, have also seen a dramatic increase in their membership during the last 3 years, with many people sharing their sightings and actively following the pages. BirdsCaribbean and our partners will continue to support these efforts, such as recent grants to our Cuban colleagues through our ongoing grant programs.

Ultimately this effort has helped spark a passion for birding and bird conservation and is helping to raise awareness of threats birds face and the irreversible damage the illegal bird trade can have on wild populations. The Committee is hopeful that, through these initiatives, Cuban society will become well informed to make pro-bird conservation choices, including reporting of illegal wild bird sales and refusing to buy wild birds. We shall keep you updated on our collective efforts!

Big Year Cuba winners, after receiving their awards, took photos with their fellow birders. From left to right: Alejandro Llanes Sosa, Carlos Peraz, Vladimir Mirabel and Sergio del Castillo.

Thank you to the Organizing Committee for your hard work on this initiative and congrats on the overwhelming success of your first Big Year Cuba! Many thanks to our partners who sponsored cash and other prizes and donations of educational materials to Cuban birders. And huge thanks to our members and donors, whose generous support helped to make the Cuba Big Year and our other programs to support Cuban bird research and conservation, possible.

Read more about about the results of Cuba Big Year 2022 in The Cuban Birder magazine.

February 28, 2023

BirdsCaribbean Awards Grants for Ten Projects to Study and Conserve Birds

BirdsCaribbean is pleased to announce 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.

These are ten exciting projects that promote the study and conservation of avifauna in six different Caribbean countries. A total of $74,500 was awarded to these projects through the three funds. Learn here about each recipient’s proposed plans, and stay tuned for results and accomplishments featured in future Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and blog articles.

Congratulations to these outstanding researchers and conservationists from our BirdsCaribbean community, we wish you all the best and can’t wait to hear about your results!

Betty Petersen Conservation Fund

Ridgway’s Hawk Conservation and Education Project in Haiti

Anderson Jean, Action pour la Sauvegarde de l’Ecologie en Haïti (ACSEH)

The Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi), found only on the island of Hispaniola, is one of the most endangered raptors in the world. It is estimated that there are fewer than 400 individuals remaining. Only two populations were known from the Dominican Republic, until 2019 when Anderson and biologists from ACSEH discovered the hawks on Petite Cayemite Island, located off the coast of southwestern Haiti. Since then, they have found more individuals and breeding pairs. These funds will allow the extension of surveys to the larger island of Grand Cayemite. To address anthropogenic threats to this Critically Endangered species, 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 two local schools. The project will also organize, for the first time, a Ridgway’s Hawk Festival in May, in collaboration with the mayor and government officials of Les Cayemites.

Birdwatching movement in Cuba as a way to improve the knowledge of Cuban avifauna and promote conservation efforts based on citizen science

Yaro Rodríguez, Cuba Birders Club

Illegal trapping and trafficking of wild birds in Cuba have long been a serious problem in Cuba. However, due to the rise of social media and economic problems caused in part by the pandemic, it has recently reached a crisis point, with tens of thousands of residents and migratory birds captured every year. Yaro along with partner Nils Navarro plan to address this critical problem through growing a nascent bird watching movement in Cuba. These new birders will a) help to put pressure on the authorities to enforce laws protecting wild birds, and b) 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. The project will provide binoculars and training to community and group leaders that will engage in bird monitoring and share the data through eBird Caribbean. The teams will grow local birding clubs and raise awareness in communities throughout Cuba of the need to protect birds and their habitats through community education and social media. They also plan to increase the interest of participants in birdwatching by organizing a second Cuban Big Year for 2024.

Promoting conservation of birds and nature on St Maarten through education, birding, and bird guide training

Kevin Sammy, Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSM)

Many of the local population on St Maarten did not receive education in relation to local flora and fauna, and therefore feel little responsibility to protect the environment. Conservation and preservation efforts have proven to be challenging when community members are not in touch with the importance of a balanced ecosystem, and therefore don’t value local natural resources. Introducing and connecting others to and educating them on the beautiful bird populations on the island form the foundation on which to build preservation efforts. Nature Foundation Sint Maarten will recruit and train local people to become birdwatchers and bird guides with the goal of increasing awareness of the importance of protecting bird species and their habitats as well as supporting sustainable livelihoods. The trainees will participate in an intensive workshop, led by trainer, Binkie Van es, (graduate of our Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training Program) to learn about the island’s flora and fauna. In addition, trainees will receive birding equipment and educational resources to help them in their work as guides and to conduct annual bird counts. Participants will be able to practice their skills in a new bird observation deck planned to be built this year. In addition, a public awareness and education campaign will be launched that includes talks and field trips with youth and communities.

Facilitating community involvement in Pawi (Trinidad Piping-Guan) research and conservation

Mark Hulme, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago

The Critically Endangered Trinidad Piping-Guan or Pawi, is Trinidad’s only endemic bird. Its population has been estimated at only 77 to 231 individuals, restricted to moist forested habitats. The main threats to the species are illegal hunting, disturbance, and habitat destruction through quarrying, logging, agriculture, and construction. Mark’s project aims to recruit members of communities in and close to the habitat to participate in the first species survey in 20 years, and foster enhanced awareness of the Pawi and involvement in its conservation. Community members will receive training in Passive (remote) Acoustic Monitoring, a technique that works well for sparse and cryptic arboreal birds. In addition, the recordings will provide them with a soundscape of all the wildlife in their landscape for other research projects, to develop a sense of pride, and for other uses, such as education and ecotourism.

Bird Conservation in the Botanical Garden: Publication of a new field guide

Lourdes Mugica, University of Havana, Cuba

Cuba’s National Botanical Garden is a crucial institution to promote bird conservation in Havana city since it receives 300,000 visitors annually. In surveys initiated in 1983, members of the Ecology Group of the University of Havana have reported 125 bird species in the garden’s diverse landscape that covers almost 500 ha. This funding will cover the printing costs of an exciting new field guide, Aves del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba (The Birds of the National Botanic Garden of Cuba), and other educational materials, including a bird identification card, a checklist, and a map of the trails. With this project, Lourdes and her colleagues want visitors to experience birdwatching firsthand, learning about the many endemic, resident, and migratory birds that live in or visit the garden seasonally. Their ultimate goal is to increase awareness and appreciation of Cuba’s incredible avifauna, to help reduce local threats such as trapping and keeping wild birds in cages as pets.

Does Los Roques Archipelago continue to be a safe place for breeding colonies of seabirds of Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, and Audubon’s Shearwater in the Caribbean?

Josmar Márquez, AveZona

Los Roques Archipelago, off the coast of Venezuela, is an important breeding site for seabirds, including the Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, and Audubon’s Shearwater, with more than 12,000 nesting pairs reported overall. However, the sustainability of these breeding colonies is threatened by a growing tourism industry. Josmar, along with partners from AveZona and other Venezuelan NGOs, proposes to conduct intensive seabird surveys to determine the population sizes and reproductive success of these species, with the aid of camera traps in nests and drones to reach remote areas. Moreover, they will be engaging people from the local communities in the counts, by providing educational materials, training on seabird identification and conservation, and even reaching out to hotels and inns to provide birdwatching opportunities as an income source.

Reproductive management with artificial nests and its effect on the populations of Psittacidae in the Pico Cristal National Park. Cuba

Inés Fernández, Flora and Fauna Enterprise, Santiago de Cuba

The Cuban Parakeet and Cuban Parrot are two threatened endemic species confined to small remnant forest fragments mainly in protected areas in Cuba. However, they maintain their degree of threat, due to all the negative actions to which they are subjected. These include loss of their natural habitats, and illegal hunting and capture for the pet trade. Inés will work on the implementation of an Artificial Nests Program to collect information about the breeding biology of both species in Pico Cristal National Park in eastern Cuba. The project will include a strong educational component for the communities surrounding the park, including the preparation and dissemination of brochures, manuals, and posters, and the recruitment of local residents to be monitors and technicians that will oversee the protection of these ptsittacids. A national awareness campaign will extend through mass media, including TV, radio, and newspapers, to discourage the illegal capture of these birds.

David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds

Establishing a long-term bird banding station in the National Botanical Garden in Havana, Cuba

Daniela Ventura del Puerto, University of Havana

Neotropical migrants have shown steep population declines since the 1970s. These include a diversity of migratory passerines that spend the winter months in the Caribbean region. In addition, the current status of resident bird populations in Cuba is poorly known, and there are no reliable demographic estimates due to very few marking and monitoring methods and their integration into a system that allows large-scale analysis. This makes it difficult to assess impacts on bird populations from loss and damage to habitats, illegal hunting and trade, and many other threats. Daniela proposes to establishing a permanent bird banding station in the National Botanical Garden in Havana. Her objectives are to 1) evaluate the migration phenology of Neotropical bird species that stop over or winter at the gardens, 2) describe the molt strategies and assess the physical condition, survival, and demographic parameters of both migratory and resident birds, 3) describe the reproductive phenology and population dynamics of the resident and endemic birds, and 4) build capacity among undergraduate and graduate students and volunteers in Cuba through their participation in the bird banding and monitoring activities. Daniela recently completed BirdsCaribbean Monitoring Training and Bird Banding Training workshops and is an active member of BirdsCaribbean’s new Bird Banding Network. The banding and monitoring data will provide invaluable quantitative data to evaluate species population trends and fill gaps in our knowledge of natural history and migration and breeding ecology of many resident and migratory birds.

Investigating male and female vocalizations of an understudied endemic Caribbean songbird

Michelle Moyer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The Caribbean has eight endemic species of orioles, with half of them considered globally threatened. The Puerto Rican Oriole, is one of eight species of Icterids endemic to the Caribbean, but its behavior, ecology, and conservation status are understudied. In addition, this species and others are threatened by human-caused habitat loss and degradation, introduced invasive species, and climate change, including increasing severe hurricanes and drought. This study intends to compare the singing behavior of males vs females, to understand aspects of its breeding behavior, including pair-bond maintenance, and territoriality in Hacienda La Esperanza, northern Puerto Rico. Individuals from different territories will be identified with the aid of colored and aluminum leg bands, to allow a quantitative analysis of their songs using the software Raven Pro. Knowledge of song rates (both males and females) has the potential to vastly improve population estimates, since point counts are based largely on auditory detection of songs.

James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund

First Field Inventory of the Avifauna in Los Colorados ́s Archipelago, northwestern Cuba

Ivalut Ruiz, Managed Resources Protected Area, Cuba

Los Colorados, north of the province of Pinar del Río, is the least explored of the four Cuban archipelagos. Its 28,260 ha were designated as a protected area as recently as September 2021. Ivalut proposes to determine the bird species richness and distribution, and identify the most important nesting, roosting, and feeding areas. This pilot study will help design a long-term monitoring protocol emphasizing the breeding season of species that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, like the Least Tern (Sternula antillarum), whose nesting areas are determined by modifications to sandbars. The data will also allow the development of conservation strategies that can be used by the Protected Area Managed Resources agency and the selection of the best site for the establishment of a field station. The project will engage local residents, particularly by increasing their awareness of the need to protect bird species and their habitats, and how to generate income from nature tourism.

Are you working on or planning a research or conservation project with Caribbean birds? The next call for proposals will be advertised in the fall of 2023. 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 listserve and following us on social media (@BirdsCaribbean on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Linked In).

BirdsCaribbean thanks the scientists and conservationists that provided thoughtful and constructive review of the proposals. We are also indebted to our generous donors for making these awards possible. We are pleased and proud to be able to support a diversity of projects in the Caribbean that advance the development of young Caribbean wildlife professionals and contribute to the conservation of Caribbean birds.

If you would like to help us support future projects, please click here to donate. We also encourage you to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our grants programs can continue long into the future.

If you prefer to donate with a check, please make the check out to “BirdsCaribbean” and in the memo section, note the fund you are donating to. If you have questions or to make other arrangements for donating, please 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

February 24, 2023

Plovers a Plenty and So Much More: Caribbean Waterbird Census 2023 Highlights!

February 21, 2023

From Grenada to Oregon: A Bird Banding Adventure

What would entice a small-island girl from Grenada to fly all the way to southern Oregon to live in a cabin in the woods for 3 months? Birds, of course! Seeing birds, hearing birds, and the coolest opportunity of all: getting up close and personal and banding birds. Here is how it all went down:

Last summer, at the end of July, I ventured out to Oregon to join the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) for a 3-month long bird banding internship. This internship was a follow-up to BirdsCaribbean’s Bird Banding Workshop in The Bahamas, which I was fortunate to attend.

Two young women look at the tail of a Townsend's Warbler. One is standing and holding the bird in her hand while the other is seated. On the data are record sheets, text book with illustrations of feathers and other stationary and bird banding tools. — Zoya checking the tail pattern of a Townsend’s Warbler. (Photo by Claire Stuyck)

This was where I finally—after years of being interested in banding and having witnessed several banding operations—finally began to understand the fundamentals of molt (the process by which birds replace their feathers in a predictable pattern). The Bahamas was great, but needless to say, one does not become a proficient bird bander in 5 days. At the end of that workshop, molt was only just beginning to click for me, and I was eager to learn more and get more hands-on practice with birds.

From Tropical Heat to…Oregon Heat!

So off I went. After a 24-hour-long journey, of which about 12 hours were spent in the air, I arrived in Medford, Oregon, in the midst of a massive heatwave. I definitely did not expect it to be hotter in high-elevation, high-latitude Medford than it was in my tropical home I’d left the day before, but temperatures were indeed over 40°C. The drive to my home for the next few months—a literal cabin in the Upper Klamath woods—was scenic, with sprawling ranches and beautiful forests along the mountain roads. Along the way, I also got glimpses of the Klamath Lake, a small aquatic consolation for this island girl. I settled in quickly, getting to know my housemates and new colleagues over the weekend as we prepared for banding in the coming week.

photo of lake as seen behind trees. — Views of the Upper Klamath Lake.

Banding, Day One: A Quiet Start

August 2^nd was my very first day of banding, and we were off to a busy start. In some ways, I was thrown into the deep end—immediately incorporated into the crew and put to work as we set up nets and ran the station each morning. However, in other ways, it was a slow burn before I started to get the hands-on practice I craved. My first few weeks consisted of mostly scribing as others banded, observing the operation and flow of the station carefully, and assisting with tasks like set-up and takedown. I flipped a lot of pages looking for reference material in Pyle, the “Bird Bander’s Bible”, and was always ready to shine the spotlight when needed to skull a bird (“skulling” is the process of checking how well-grown a bird’s skull is to figure out its age).

Table with all the banding tools and notes neatly arranged. — Ready for the banding day. Table with all the tools neatly arranged. (Photo by Claire Stuyck)

Hands on banding! Holding is Believing…

On August 17^th, I banded my first bird at KBO, a Nashville Warbler, and from then, the pace certainly picked up. By October 14^th, our last official day of banding, I had been privileged to handle just under 280 birds, whether I extracted them from the net or banded them myself. These 280 birds were of 45 different species, many of which I had never even seen before going to Oregon. I had previously visited the west coast when I briefly lived in Vancouver, B.C., during the pandemic (summer 2020) and did some socially-distanced birding where I saw the usual suspects like Bushtits, Steller’s Jays, and House Finches.

But still, observing the strange behavior of a Northern Flicker on a lawn is very different from holding one in the hand and noticing amazing details like their heart-shaped belly pattern. Nor does seeing a majestic Cooper’s Hawk soar overhead compare to holding it like an ice-cream cone and launching it (safely) into the air after banding it. I feel truly honored to have been so “up close and personal” with so many different birds – and to learn something new and interesting about each of them during my time there.

Photo of heart shaped patters on white feathers. Partially visible is the long flared red tail. — A bit of love from a Red-shafted Flicker.

The many skills I learned

Before going to KBO, I had handled and processed a few dozen birds (< 50 total), of tropical species like the Bananaquit, Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, Spectacled Thrush, and Caribbean Dove. These opportunities were primarily in Grenada with the Koper Lab of the University of Manitoba, and more recently, in the Bahamas at the March 2022 workshop. However, I had applied bands to very few of those birds (less than 10) and was only vaguely familiar with proper application technique and the process of aging and sexing.

Throughout my 3-month internship, I learned so much about mist net setup, extraction, proper handling technique and modifications for various sizes of birds, band sizing and application, assessment of molt limits, aging and sexing of birds in the hand, and data management. Since I plan to establish my own banding station in Grenada, these skills are invaluable for me to have as primary bander. KBO also filled the knowledge gaps I had about aging birds, particularly molt, molt limits, and the use of WRP—an updated system of terminology for aging birds based on cycles. The most valuable skill I learned, in my opinion, is skulling, which will be incredibly useful in aging my resident birds in Grenada that potentially have year-round breeding seasons. I am very excited to put that skill into practice at home.

A young woman holding a Wilsons Warbler while inspecting its crown patch. — Checking crown patch of a Wilson’s Warbler. (Photo by Claire Stuyck)

A wooden canoe, and nerdy indoor games

The internship was not all work, thankfully. My crew mates and I had a few opportunities for fun, including making the most of our grocery runs to the nearest town 30 minutes away by thrifting to our hearts’ content—my field wardrobe has nearly doubled, and everything was secondhand! We were granted the use of a nearby cabin on the Klamath Lake, affectionately called “Boathouse,” where we could go kayaking and canoeing through the marsh. Regrettably we only went once before the weather got too cold for unnecessary outdoor adventures, but my first time in a real-life wooden canoe was magical, even though I failed in my quest to see beavers. More often, we huddled up at home in the cabin and played games; one of my crew mates brought quite the collection with him, and nearly every week we had a new board or card game to try out.

A young woman sits in a long green, wooden canoe on a lake. — Zoya out canoeing on the lake. (Photo by Yuly Caicedo Ortiz)

“Wingspan” was an instant favorite, to no one’s surprise, and we adapted the game to double as study time. Each time we drew a bird card of a species that we caught at KBO, we went around the table giving “fun facts” about the species including its band size, molt strategy, and aging/sexing criteria (nerdy, I know!). All of these moments of downtime went a long way in helping the crew to bond and breaking up the monotony of fieldwork with a bit of fun.

An International Flavor, and Some Language Learning

Our crew was also quite diverse. The three Americans—from Illinois, Texas, and South Carolina—were joined by Colombian, Mexican, British, and Grenadian interns, making us one, big, happy international family. For me, the coolest part was hearing all about everyone’s banding adventures in their home countries and states, and all the other places they had worked, from Alaska to Ontario to New York to Costa Rica. It was amazing to know that, even with these varied backgrounds, we had all come to KBO with the common purpose of learning more about birds and banding, and hopefully, getting certified to do what we love.

I grew especially close to the two Latin American interns, who taught me not only about molt in tropical birds—which differs in important and fascinating ways from temperate, migratory birds—but also, so much Spanish. We spoke often as we tried to learn each other’s languages, and while I would not claim to be fluent in Spanish (yet), I do definitely know a lot more about “la muda y la vida ahora.”

Smoke, Bears, Rattlesnakes, Oh My!

Of course, the internship was not without its challenges. Southern Oregon is fire country, and we often had to adjust our plans around fires in the area, and sometimes, work through some degree of smoke. One of the sites is located atop a mountain, and the mile-long hike to get there did not always agree with my arthritic knees. We had to be mindful of bears everywhere—and the crew did have a few close encounters—and keep an eye out for rattlesnakes at one site. I took more than one fall in the field and I have the scars to show for it.

Up close photo of young woman wearing a white face mask and holding small bird bags with wooden clips. — Banding continues, even in mild smoke.

The hours were long, mornings were often cold (sometimes with 0°C starts), and the work was exhausting at times, but the good always outweighed the bad. Not only did we get to work with birds and collect important data for their conservation, but we also got to share that with the public. We had several outreach opportunities, most of which were at the Crater Lake National Park in partnership with the National Park Service, and people of all ages were excited to see us in action and especially excited to help release a bird. I remember my own first time releasing a bird in 2017 with the Koper Lab, and that obviously sparked an interest in me that has brought me here all these years later..

One woman is kneeling on the ground, right hand outstretched while another young woman, bent over, places a bird in her hand to be release. — Zoya helping a visitor release a bird. (Photo by Claire Stuyck)

Plus-Delta-Plus: Assessing Our Day

One KBO tradition that I grew quite fond of was our daily check-in of Plus-Delta-Plus (or High-Low-High as our British crewmate sometimes called it). At the end of each banding day, after summarizing our effort and captures, each of us had to identify two things that went well (our pluses); and one thing that maybe did not go so well or an area for improvement(our delta).

Pluses often included progressing in or mastering a certain technique (skulling, anyone?), noteworthy team dynamics and communication, good banding flow and keeping up with the pace of the day. Extra-cool captures of birds, such as the one day we caught and banded a Pileated Woodpecker, were definitely Pluses! Deltas were equally varied, from breakdowns in communication or teamwork to physical stresses or injuries. Deltas often included areas for improvement, such as realizing that we didn’t understand an aspect of molt quite as well as we thought we did. Having a space to reflect on the day, and sandwiching the “bad” with the “good”, was a great way to not only check in with ourselves but also with our teammates. This is definitely a ritual that I would like to incorporate into my own banding station going forward.

Testing, Testing…Certification!

I gained so much knowledge over my 3 months in Oregon, but knowledge is often intangible. One of the few tangible and recognized measures of banding competency (in this Hemisphere) is a certification from the North American Banding Council (NABC). At the end of October, our entire crew got certified as either Banders or Trainers! In full transparency, I did not expect to be able to pass the certification when I started my internship in July, as the big end-of-season evaluation was daunting. I thought I would be at a disadvantage since I was the least familiar with the birds in the area.

The NABC certification process typically includes a written exam, specimen exam, and an intense field session, where you are observed banding-in-action. This system has worked for years, but is prone to inducing nerves and failure, as a lot of pressure rests on just one day in the field. Thankfully, KBO recently implemented a programmatic certification process, which changes the traditional model of testing everything at the end to testing bits and pieces as you go. We used the “Bander’s merit badge checklist” to evaluate important knowledge and skills throughout the fall. Individual skills—like ability to measure a wing formula or correct application of a band—were checked off by demonstrating competence in the field.

These practical tests were spaced over several weeks, and allowed us time to improve and incorporate feedback if we did not succeed on the first try. We still had to complete the written exam, but having continuous evaluation rather than one field test really took the pressure off. Our performance was then independently reviewed by Trainers at the Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory during our visit, and voila, everyone passed! I am very proud to be one of the first NABC-certified Banders from Grenada, and also one of the first under this BirdsCaribbean Landbird Monitoring Program – which is sure to build a lot of capacity throughout the region.

A young woman leans against a red wooden wall, dressed in brown pants, blue t-shirt and plaid shirt. Sign above reads Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory. — Zoya after receiving her bird banding certification at HBBO. (Photo by Axel Rutter)

A Weekend in Humboldt Bay

The weekend at Humboldt Bay was the perfect end to the season. It is the banding station of field ornithology legend Dr. CJ Ralph, and our visit coincided with his famed end-of-year party. We arrived on Thursday 20^thOctober after a five-hour drive from southern Oregon to northern California. We spent the day on Friday banding at their station, followed by a bonfire barbeque. The next day there was a mini-conference, where we all presented on various topics related to banding; the keynote was a fascinating presentation on the results of a long-term banding dataset in Brazil. We ended the day with an award ceremony of sorts, and the much-anticipated end-of-year party where we mingled with banders from both observatories.

A group of seven people, five are sitting on the couch while one is sitting on the floor and the other is sitting on the arm rest. All are smiling and facing the camera. — Zoya and her crew mates at the end of year party. (Photo by Victoria Langham)

On Sunday, we drove back to the Upper Klamath, but not before stopping to sightsee along the way. Several stops at the redwood forests and the Pacific Ocean later, we got back home to several inches of snow on the ground. Our last week at the cabin was cozy; we kept the fire roaring out of necessity, but were also incredibly busy as we scrambled to pack up our things, pack up the cabin, complete data entry, and overall wrap up the banding season.

Goodbyes…And Appreciation

We began saying goodbye to various crew members, starting in California and ending at the airport where I bid adios to my Colombian friend and started the equally long journey home. All in all, my time at KBO was an incredible learning experience where I learned about myself as much as I did about banding; made lasting bonds with people I may have never encountered otherwise; and gained amazing insight into the world of banding and bird conservation.

KBO, a human logo. (Photo by Claire Stuyck)

KBO was so welcoming, both the place and the people, and I look forward to going back someday; as they say, we are all KBO “famigos” now. Our trainer, Claire, was exactly the tough but compassionate teacher I needed. She has really helped me to be the best bander I can be. I’m especially excited to be home and to start applying everything I’ve learned to the study and conservation of my local birds. I have BirdsCaribbean to thank for this opportunity. Words can hardly express how grateful I am for the chance to intern at KBO last year, and I am so excited to see what comes next with this evolving Caribbean Bird Banding Network. Thank you, BirdsCaribbean and KBO!

Zoya is a conservation biologist with varied passions, including birds, the beach, and writing/editing. She recently completed her Master’s in natural resource management and has a love for coastal ecosystems, especially mangroves. Zoya is excited to use her bird banding experiences at KBO and elsewhere in the Caribbean to learn more about the understudied resident and endemic species in her home country, Grenada.

We are very proud of Zoya for successfully passing the rigorous NABC (North American Banding Council) exam and becoming a certified Bander. She is just one of three persons in the Caribbean who are now certified. All three received certification in 2022, as part of our new Landbird Monitoring Program which aims to build capacity for bird monitoring, banding, and MOTUS in the Caribbean. We thank the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund for support for this project.

Put a band on it: Updates from our First-ever Caribbean Bird Banding Training

Caribbean Bird Banding Network

February 8, 2023

JCO Roundup: Volume 35 Features New Research from 11 Caribbean Locations

The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. In this annual blog feature, JCO’s staff is proud to show off the amazing research from scientific teams around the Caribbean. Let your curiosity lure you into exploring:

Warblers eat lizards and fish? What is the preferred snail diet of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite? How can nesting success of terns be improved? There was once a Giant Barn Owl roaming Guadeloupe?

Look back and discover how James Bond, a pioneer of Caribbean ornithology, relied on the expertise of little-known Caribbean experts. Or look forward and reflect on the future prospects for bird conservation in our age of unprecedented human impact on Caribbean nature.

As JCO’s Managing Editor, I am immensely grateful for a dedicated team of editors, reviewers, copyeditors, proofreaders, and production specialists that have worked together so well this past year to produce high-quality publications. And of course, our fabulous authors that do the work on the ground to help us better understand the biodiverse Caribbean and the challenges it faces. With the non-profit BirdsCaribbean as our publisher, JCO emphasizes access: trilingual content, support for early-career researchers, and open access–from the latest article to the very first volume from 1988.

While our 100% open-access publication policy is the most prominent and public-facing feature of our work at the journal, there has been a lot going on “behind the scenes” as well.

In 2022, JCO welcomed Caroline Pott, our new Birds of the World (BOW) Coordinator, and huge thanks to our outgoing first BOW coordinator, Maya Wilson! Caroline works with authors and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to produce BOW accounts of Caribbean bird species. Zoya Buckmire took the reins as the new JCO Lead Copy Editor, and helped to recruit Laura Baboolal and Kathryn Peiman to the copyediting team. Dr. Fred Schaffner will join us for editorial help with English manuscripts from authors for which English is not their first language. Joining our Associate Editor board were Dr. Virginia Sanz D’Angelo, Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Jaime Collazo, North Carolina, and Dr. Chris Rimmer, Norwich, Vermont. We are looking forward to hearing from you, our readers and supporters, and working with the JCO team in 2023!

With Volume 35, JCO introduced the assignment of a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to each article, making it easier fo the scientific community to locate an author’s work in the published literature.

— Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., JCO Editor-in-Chief | jmwunderle@gmail.com

— Stefan Gleissberg, JCO Managing Editor | stefan.gleissberg@birdscaribbean.org

Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 35.

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 monthly contributions of $5 or more!

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Inventory of birds in different plant formations in the protected area Cueva Martín Infierno, south-central Cuba

Rosalina Montes Espín and Minerva Sánchez-Llull

The Cueva Martín Infierno protected area in Cuba is well-known for its cave and stalagmite formations, but what about its bird community? Located in the Guamuhaya Mountains, one of Cuba’s biodiversity hotspots, this protected area is sure to support a thriving bird community, but this aspect is previously undocumented. In this paper, Montes and Sánchez-Llull present the first comprehensive record of birds in Cueva Martín Infierno, including several endemics and species of conservation concern.
Evidence of a Late Holocene giant barn owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Tytonidae) in Guadeloupe

Monica Gala, Véronique Laroulandie, and Arnaud Lenoble

What has two talons, feeds on large rodents, and used to roam the Caribbean night sky? Giant owls! Giant barn owls (Tytonidae) once inhabited the Caribbean in precolonial times, as evidenced by recent palaeontological research. In this paper, Gala et al. describe a bone fragment of an unspecified giant barn owl found on Guadeloupe, the second such record for the Lesser Antilles.
Marine litter incorporation into nest construction and entanglement of Brown Noddies (Anous stolidus) in the Grenadines, West Indies

Juliana Coffey

Plastic waste is an increasing source of pollution worldwide, especially in marine environments. Seabirds are particularly vulnerable to marine litter, as they can ingest, become entangled in, or incorporate this waste into their colonies and nests. In this research note, Coffey reports on two Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) interactions with marine litter in the Grenadines, one instance of nest incorporation and another of entanglement and mortality.
Conservation opportunities for tern species at two Ramsar sites on Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Fernando Simal, Adriana Vallarino, and Elisabeth Albers

The hypersaline lagoons of northern Bonaire are home to several populations of seabirds, making it a regionally significant nesting site in the southern Caribbean. Among the species that breed there are the Eastern Least Tern (Sternula antillarum antillarum), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), and Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis eurygnathus). In this paper, Simal et al. quantify breeding success for the terns at these sites in Bonaire, and provide timely recommendations for increasing tern populations, such as island creation and predator exclusion.
The short-term impacts of Hurricane Maria on the forest birds of Dominica

Andrew Fairbairn, Ian Thornhill, Thomas Edward Martin, Robin Hayward, Rebecca Ive, Josh Hammond, Sacha Newman, Priya Pollard, and Charlotte Anne Palmer

How are hurricanes affecting Caribbean landbirds? Like other native species in the region, birds likely evolved under the threat of hurricanes, but as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, this question becomes increasingly important. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, Fairbairn et al. sought to compare the bird community on Dominica to that pre-hurricane. In this paper, they present those results, including the disproportionate effects on some functional groups that may predict which species fare better long-term.
Variability of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus) diet

Arnaud Lenoble, Laurent Charles, and Nathalie Serrand

It’s a well-known fact that Hook-billed Kites eat snails- their wonderfully adapted bills tell us that much. But, will any old snail do, or do these high-flying molluscivores have a preference? In this paper, Lenoble et al. present their observations on the diet of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus), with prey availability and distribution having the potential to inform conservation planning for this endemic subspecies.
Status and distribution of the Antillean Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus antillarum) on the island of Grenada

Ezra Angella Campbell, Jody Daniel, Andrea Easter-Pilcher, and Nicola Koper

How is the Antillean Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus antillarum) faring habitat loss and degradation across its small-island ranges? Campbell et al. aim to investigate the status and distribution of this species in Grenada, comparing its distribution by habitat, elevation, and season. In this paper, they present their results as well as recommendations for the conservation of this species that are applicable both to Grenada and across its Caribbean range.

REVIEWS
A review of wood warbler (Parulidae) predation of vertebrates and descriptions of three new observations

Michael E. Akresh, Steven Lamonde, Lillian Stokes, Cody M. Kent, Frank Kahoun, and Janet M. Clarke Storr

Wood warbler (Parulidae) diets are varied and interesting, from arthropods to fruits and sometimes even nectar. Occasionally, wood warblers may also consume vertebrate species, primarily Anolis lizards, but these instances are not well documented and have not previously been compiled. In this paper, Akresh et al. present a comprehensive literature review on wood warbler vertebrate consumption throughout the Caribbean and USA, and also describe three new observations from The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Florida.
Status of the Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) on and around the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire

Jeffrey V. Wells, Elly Albers, Michiel Oversteegen, Sven Oversteegen, Henriette de Vries, and Rob Wellens

The Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) is a stunningly charismatic seabird without many documented or published records in the southern Caribbean until recently. To shed light on this species’ distribution and trends over the decades, Wells et al. sought to compile records from near the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. This review accompanies an erratum note in this issue, and details all previous sightings of the species, with records as far back as 1939.

PERSPECTIVES AND OPINIONS
James Bond (1900–1989)—US ornithologist—and his network of contributors to the avifauna of the West Indies

Gerhard Aubrecht

James Bond, renowned ornithologist of the 20th century and the namesake of 007, contributed dozens of publications to the field of Caribbean ornithology. Throughout his decades of work, he established a network of scientists and laypeople alike, without whom his work would not have been possible. In this Perspectives and Opinions piece, Aubrecht compiles the biographies of Bond’s most important contributors, highlighting the importance of collaboration and networking in advancing scientific study across the region.
The future of Caribbean endemic bird conservation in the Anthropocene

Howard P. Nelson and Eleanor S. Devenish-Nelson

The Caribbean Biodiversity Hotspot is well-known for its avian diversity, with over 700 species! Of which more than 180 are endemic. Unfortunately, the wellbeing of these avian populations is often constrained by the inherent challenges of small island developing states, increasing effects of climate change, and colonial histories. In this piece, Nelson and Devenish-Nelson explore these challenges, with concrete examples of endemic birds across the region, and describe a possible way forward for regional conservation of our species as we navigate the Anthropocene.

BOOK REVIEWS

Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Book Authors: Herbert A. Raffaele, Clive Petrovic, Sergio A Colón López, Lisa Yntema, and José A. Salguero Faria

Book review by: Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr

The Puerto Rico Breeding Bird Atlas

Book Authors: Jessica Castro-Prieto, Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., José A. Salguero-Faria, Sandra Soto-Bayo, Johann D. Crespo-Zapata, and William A. Gould

Book review by: Leopoldo Miranda-Castro

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Recent ornithological literature from the Caribbean – 2022

Steven Latta

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 and Production Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

January 31, 2023

Becoming a ‘Molt Nerd’ on a Bahamian Beach

Workshop Group photo (with: Eliézer Nieves-Rodriguez, Ancilleno Davis, Gisselle Deane, Shanna Challenger, Esteban Márquez, Maya Wilson, Anne Sutton, Alcides Morales, Juan Carlos Fernández Ordóñez, Johnella Bradshaw, Adrianne Tossas, Daniela Ventura, Omar Monzón, Holly Garrod)

In 2022 BirdsCaribbean ran its first Caribbean Bird Banding workshop in the Bahamas. Get a first-hand account of the highlights of this workshop from Cuban participant Daniela Ventura. Want to know what a ‘Molt Nerd’ is? Read on to find out!

No, surely not! Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that in 2022 I was going to have the good fortune to visit not one, but two Caribbean other islands. As if that wasn’t unbelievable enough, the trips were scheduled with less than a month apart. But that’s exactly how things went: from learning to monitor landbirds using PROALAS point counts in the rainforest of the Dominican Republic’s misty mountains, I moved to the sunny beaches of Nassau in The Bahamas.

No need to tell you that birds were again the main driver and motivation. This time, I would receive training on banding techniques during the first Caribbean Bird Banding Workshop organized by BirdsCaribbean. The Retreat Garden of the Bahamas National Trust was our training oasis from 8 to 12 March.

Jewelry for birds?

Putting bracelets on birds? Have ornithologists gone mad? No, ornithologists are not crazy; and we do this for very specific and important reasons. It’s not about bird fashion either, though for me they look pretty fashionable.

Scientific banding has been a powerful tool for assessing bird populations for centuries. Nonetheless, I must admit that the first time I heard about banding I also was a bit lost. That happened at the 2017 BirdsCaribbean conference in Cuba. I was a sophomore student of Biology during the first and largest scientific event so far in my career. My mind was swirling! I wanted to absorb everything.

Person holding small bird looking at the wing feathers — Claire explains how to account for feather wear in an American Redstart

One day I entered the conference room and met Alina Pérez. She was giving a talk about her project monitoring migration in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. I was amazed that such fabulous research was done in Cuba. At that time, I only knew they captured birds with mist nets, put tiny metal rings on their legs and let them go unharmed afterwards. I could not think of anything but the privilege it must be to hold a bird in your hand – and that I wanted to have that experience. After the conference I looked for Alina, introduced myself as an eager and inexperienced bird enthusiast, and told her I would love to volunteer with her project and learn from her. Alina gave me the warmest of her smiles and said “yes” right away.

I cannot thank Alina enough for the mentorship I received. Not only did she give me the opportunity to start learning the skills required to band birds safely and for scientific purposes, but she taught me so much more. During the three seasons I have spent volunteering on her project I still haven’t got used to the wonder of holding a bird in my hands. Most importantly, though, I discovered my obsession. Soon, I knew that I wanted to become a trained bander and to design research that incorporated this technique.

And so it was that, five years after the conference that changed my life, I was in a plane heading to Nassau, with my banding mentor sitting by my side, ready to walk the next steps of my path to become a certified bander. As I expected, the reality would surpass my expectations by far.

Breaking the bias

Setting a mist net — Trainer Claire Stuyck demonstrates best practices for mist net setup. In the background, trainer Holly Garrod explains the procedure.

The first day of the workshop coincided with the celebrations of International Women’s Day. We had plenty of reasons to be joyful. This year’s theme, Break the Bias, highlighted the importance of addressing how our own social and cultural biases influence gender inequalities. The conservation industry in particular has a long history of being mainly male-driven. BirdsCaribbean is proudly breaking the bias as an organization led and carried by strong, committed, enthusiastic, and proficient women in science.

The main workshop organizers and trainers were women: Maya Wilson, Holly Garrod, and Claire Stuyck. Besides, among the participants we had the pleasure of having Anne Haynes-Sutton, one of the most influential conservationists in the Caribbean for her work with seabirds, and one of the pioneers of bird banding in the region. Nearly half of the attendees were also female, many of them young but already with important leadership positions and success stories in conservation to share. Alina Pérez, Adrianne Tossas, Shana Challenger, Zoya Buckmire, Johnella Bradshaw, and Giselle Deane were there to prove that women’s contribution to science and conservation should not be neglected and overlooked anymore.

Eating apples, admiring doves, and tying knots on Day One

Sessions were held at The Retreat Garden, a former private botanical garden and currently a National Park managed by The Bahamas National Trust. The park’s staff are world-class event organizers. They took good care of us by having a steady supply of coffee and snacks. This helped us to keep focus during the intense classroom and field sessions. If it wasn’t for the apples, I wouldn’t have made it! I must acknowledge that I have a serious addiction to apples and I was nicknamed the “Apple Terror” by my Puerto Rican friends. They had no choice but to head first thing in the morning to the snacks table, to grab and put aside an apple if they wanted to have a chance of eating one – before I went to the table and magically made them disappear. Sorry, pals!

The first lesson hadn’t started yet and I already had a lifer to add to my list. A pair of Caribbean Doves, walking unaware of our presence around the classroom facilities made such a pleasant view. Aside from the Cuban endemics, they are the most beautiful doves I have ever seen.

Banders around a table entering data and holding birds — At the banding table, Daniela Ventura studies banding data sheets with Juan Carlos Fernández Ordóñez and Alcides Morales-Pérez. In the background, Holly holds a bird bag carrying the next-to-be-processed bird.

I was lucky to get good views of other notable Bahamian birds, like the stunning male Bahama Woodstar, the Bahama Mockingbird, and of course the ubiquitous White-crowned Pigeon. Definitely, the doves were the dearest to my heart.

Activities began when the trainers, Claire Stuyck and John Alexander from Klamath Bird Observatory, Steve Albert from the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP), and Holly Garrod from BirdsCaribbean, greeted and welcomed us to the five-day intense banding schedule. They had barely finished introductions when we were already getting hands-on learning about setting up mist nets, security guidelines, and tying knots. Making knots can be fun as well as stressful, at least for a person like me who doesn’t have a good spatial memory. But it speaks highly of our instructors’ teaching skills that I soon forgot my insecurities and became immersed in tying knots – and even had a lot of fun!

Getting to know (and love) the Birder’s Bible

Lessons comprised a blend of field practice in the mornings and theory talks in the afternoon. These sessions covered the nitty-gritty of setting up an organized and well-planned banding table, with all the tools and the equipment properly set up to meet our needs. There were talks about the Bander’s Code of Ethics; bird and human safety at banding operations; the use of molt strategies to identify ages; education and public outreach; the use of banding for scientific research; and other related topics.

We split our time between banding demonstrations given by the experts Claire and Holly and conducting regular net runs. We had the luck of getting a closer look at resident birds like the Red-legged Thrush, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Bananaquit, Thick-billed Vireo, Caribbean Doves, and Common Ground Doves, but also common winter migrants like Cape May Warblers, Black-and-White Warblers, and the American Redstart. Although the birds we captured were never enough to please us, everyone had their chance to learn how to extract birds safely out of the nets, and even handle and band them.

Presentation being given — Juan Carlos Fernández Ordóñez in a presentation aboout the Bander´s Bible: Pyle´s Identification Guide to North American Birds

Group in an outdoor classroom — John Alexander explain some molt terminology to the workshop participants gathered at the retreat facilities.

During the low-activity periods, time was well spent learning how to use the Bander’s Bible: The Identification Guide to North American Birds, known simply as “the Pyle”. Diving through the Pyle can be a hard pill to swallow for every amateur bander, but once you realize you can’t have a stronger ally at your banding operations, it becomes as dear to you as an old friend. Helping to make that connection even stronger was the fact that we knew the actual Pyle (yes, Pyle – the “Bander’s God”) knew about us, through his colleague from the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP), Steve Albert. We could feel his presence while we struggled to study molt patterns.

The molt obsession

Now – talking about molt. You can’t be a skilled bander without being a molt nerd. No doubt about that. In the beginning, we thought Holly was nuts when she started talking in a weird fashion about three-letter codes. Wolfe-Ryder-Pyle (WPR) codes for aging birds are another jaw-dropper for anyone new to the secrets of bird identification.

At the banding table, more molt talk by Juan Carlos Fernández Ordóñez. Listening attentively: Alina Pérez, Esteban Márquez, Carlos Peña, Daniela Ventura, Alcides Morales, Jose Ramón Fuentes.

But of course, Holly is far from being nuts. She infused us with so much excitement while talking about molt strategies, that we all got enthusiastic about it. Pretty soon, our days became molt-centered – not only during the sessions, but at dinners, night gatherings at the hotel terrace, and even during the short but necessary break at the Orange Hill Beach. Everyone was truly proud at the end to be called a molt nerd.

I know some of you may already be asking, what’s all this for? Are we actually helping birds by showing off our knowledge of fancy letters and metal and colored rings? In fact, we are helping both birds and humans alike. You probably already know that birds are powerful sentinels of change. Studying how their populations respond to and cope with changes to their habitats, and other threats such as climate change, are useful tools for planning conservation strategies. The Caribbean region is home to more than 700 species, 176 are unique to these islands. The region is also one of those places on Earth that are suffering from rapid transformation by humans.

Banding connects us with nature

But we have another problem, and it is that plenty of our birds’ natural history is still unknown, or at least inadequately studied. Banding can be a powerful tool to begin filling those gaps. Birds in the hand provide us with loads of data about population estimates and trends, survival rates, movement routes and timing, disease prevalence, overall health and condition, molt strategies, physiology, breeding phenology, and much more basic data for ornithological studies. Besides, holding banding demonstrations for the public offers a gateway that helps humans connect with nature, an invaluable resource to educate people about wildlife and conservation. I believe that holding a bird in the hand and then watching it fly away can have a profound effect on someone’s life. And I say this from my personal experience! Banding not only helped me discover my passions, but connected me with nature and conservation like nothing else had before.

Red-legged Thrush is examined before being banded. (Photo by Holly Garrod)

The whole aim of the workshop was to create a network of banders across the Caribbean that could employ a series of standardized protocols to begin answering questions still unaddressed about our birds’ basic ecology. The Caribbean is a crucial stopover and wintering area for many declining North American songbirds. For this reason, the workshop also included talks about the collaboration with the MoSI (Spanish for monitoring winter survival) program from IBP and the installation of MOTUS towers. By combining traditional banding and modern tracking technologies we could boost our understanding of the movements of Neotropical birds throughout the Caribbean region and beyond.

But the main step, besides establishing these connections, is training and capacity-building. We need to end the traditional model of “parachute science” and train our next Caribbean generation of banders and trainers. I am so happy that I can brag about being a friend of the brand-new certified North American Banding Council (NABC) trainer: Juan Carlos (JC) Fernández Ordóñez (yes, the humorous Latin team “influencer”). You can tell when JC is talking about bird stuff because it is the only time you will see him with a serious look on his face. And that does not necessarily mean he is not making jokes. JC has been banding for 25 years. He is knowledgeable about molt strategies and bird ID, not only of Neotropical but also European, African, and Asian species. Most importantly, he enjoys teaching and sharing all he knows with everybody. I am sure that with JC’s example and Holly’s magnetism, most of the participants left with the ingrained desire to continue mastering our banding skills and obtain NABC certification in the near future. That will help lift the banding movement in the Caribbean.

Real Bahamian hospitality!

“Welcome to The Bahamas” are not only the letters of a beautiful mural painted on Bay Street, but the greeting me and my friends received everywhere we went: at the hotel, restaurants, and from people driving a car late at night through the Downtown area. If nothing else, I will never forget from this trip the beautiful aquamarine, gold, and black Bahamian flags waving from almost every building, and the kind hospitality of the people. The Bahamians I met during that week were courteous, smiling, spicy-food lovers, and proud of their history and traditions. Our Bahamas National Trust colleague and fellow trainee, Giselle Dean’s organizational skills made the workshop run smoothly, and she would humbly say it was nothing. Bahamian Scott Johnson not only was kind enough to give us a ride every day from the hotel to The Retreat in his car, but entertained and amazed us with his tremendous knowledge of Bahamian natural history and culture. Chris Johnson was quiet much of the time, but surprised us by generously giving each of us a beautiful calendar with his bird photos! Many of the species are shared by Cuba and the Bahamas, so it is nice to flip through the months of the year and recollect the memories from the trip. Ancilleno Davis was a model host, giving us a tour around Downtown Nassau during the last day of our stay, and providing us with a taste of Bahamian arts, architecture, and history.

The “Plus/Delta” of it all

Bird banders around a table — Participants gather at the banding table, while Holly Garrod explains how to take the data (in the photo, right to left Zoya Buckmire, Alina Perez, Alcides Morales, Claire Stuyck, Juan Carlos Órdoñez, Esteban Márquez, Adrianne Tossas, Holly Garrod, Carlos Peña, Ann Sutton, Daniela Ventura)

The “Plus/Delta” was a daily exercise for us at the end of the sessions. We highlighted the most significant aspect of the day for each of us and reflected on the areas where we needed more study or practice. It’s really difficult for me to decide on the overall Plus/Delta of my Bahamian experience. I have many of them. My Plus was the chance to bond with old and new friends; strengthen collaboration networks that will aid in my future professional development; improve my banding and molt ID skills; and widen my understanding and appreciation for other cultures.

And the Deltas? I also have plenty: I am determined to continue growing my expertise in all subjects regarding banding, bird ID, molt strategies, and overall bird ecology. A key step for achieving that goal is to become a certified NABC trainer. With this qualification, I do not want to only band and contribute to the understanding of Cuban resident species. I would also like to share and hopefully instill enthusiasm for these studies in the new generations of Cuban ornithologists. In the long run they will accomplish the visions we dreamed of on the beaches of the Bahamas. My biggest Delta is the hope that soon a large and powerful network of Caribbean banders will be the authors of a new round of success stories in regional bird conservation.

BirdsCaribbean Acknowledgments

This workshop would not have been possible without our dedicated trainers, enthusiastic participants, and funders, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Forest Service and BirdsCaribbean generous donors and members.

January 15, 2023

Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!

During 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count, from January 14 to February 3 2023 we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. If you see any Piping Plovers during your CWC surveys send us their locations and we will add them to our map. Keep an eye on it in the coming weeks to track our progress in surveying and finding these threatened shorebirds in the Caribbean!

We are tracking where Piping Plovers have been seen during CWC 2023. Send us your sightings as you make them and we will update the map. This means you can track our progress in finding Piping Plovers live during the survey. You can check back to this post to see map updates or follow them on our Caribbean Piping Plover Survey page.

Zoom in or out to view your region or the whole Caribbean. Click the icon in the top right corner to see a larger map. You can share your sightings, including a grid reference and your count of Piping Plovers at that location (if more than one was seen) with waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org or on the BirdsCaribbean listserv.

NOTE: If you are not within the Caribbean but have seen a Piping Plover during the CWC survey period you can still share your sightings and we will add them to the map! And we will continue to add all sightings of Piping Plovers in 2023 to this map, so please continue your CWC counts and send us your eBird Caribbean checklists. Remember that although we have one annual 3-week regional count period (14 Jan-3 Feb), we encourage everyone to carry out CWC counts year-round, especially during fall and spring migration. We need much more information on all the habitats that shorebirds and waterbirds use throughout the year. Thanks!!!

Why Join the Survey?

This small, round shorebird is listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN with an estimated global breeding population of just 8,400 birds. They breed in restricted areas of North America but migrate south in fall with some birds spending their winter in the Caribbean. It’s vital that we continue to learn more about the numbers and distribution of this rare shorebird in our region.

We already know about some of the main islands and areas where Piping Plovers spend the winter in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos Islands. We also know they have been spotted in smaller numbers in other countries, including Puerto Rico and its offshore islands and cays, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the US and British Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Anguilla, and Bonaire (there are just one or two records for some of these countries). But in the ‘right’ habitat there are likely more Piping Plovers to be found, both in ‘new’ locations on islands where they have been seen before and perhaps some islands where they haven’t been seen yet. We need more people out there looking for them!

Share Your Survey Experience

As well as sharing your Piping Plover locations with us we’d love for you to send us any photos or videos from your CWC surveys! These can be of the birds you see or the amazing places you visit during your surveys or of you and your survey buddies taking part in CWC! You can share your photos and videos with us on social media, tag us @birdscaribbean in your posts and use #CWC2023 or share with waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org or on the BirdsCaribbean listserv.

We look forward to finding out where you spot Piping Plovers during CWC2023!

Resources to Help With Surveys

ID Resources

Piping Plovers are small, round shorebirds with ‘stubby’ black bills and orange legs. Their upper parts are pale brown, the colour of dry sand, and they are white below. We have made a handy ID guide to help you pick out Piping Plovers from some of the other small plovers that winter in the Caribbean.

Download these graphics as a pdf following these links: Plover ID guide Guide to reading bands

They also have a unique two-note high to low pee-too call that you can listen out for.

Piping Plovers can be quite vocal, even during the winter. They often give a mellow two-part whistle, that drops in pitch, pee-too. Sometimes they only give the first part of this call as single, repeated with several seconds between each call: pee … pee … pee.

Don’t forget to scan the legs of any Piping Plovers you see for colour bands. Finding and reporting these bands can help us learn more about where different breeding populations spend the winter. You can find out how to report bands in our helpful guide (above). More information and different versions of this guide to reporting banded Piping Plovers are available to download on our Shorebird Resources webpage.

Guide to Piping Plover Habitats

Piping Plovers in the Caribbean are often seen in small flocks resting and feeding on sand flats. Even here, out in the open, they can be tricky to spot with their ‘dry sand’ coloured plumage blending with their surroundings. Be sure to also check any seaweed (wrack) on the beach as this is another favourite haunt of theirs. Other places Piping Plovers might be found include mudflats, mangroves, and along rocky areas of shoreline, where again they blend in beautifully, especially if they are resting. Check out and share our handy graphics, with artwork by Josmar Esteban Márquez, to remind you where to look.

Graphic of Piping Plovers on a sand flat

Graphic of Pipinng Plovers amongst mangrove roots

Graphic of Piping Plovers on a wrack strewn beach

Click on each image to enlarge then right click to “save as….” a jpeg. Use these links to download each image in higher resolution as a pdf: Sand Flats, Mangroves, Beach Wrack, Rocky Shore

Complete Guide to Doing Surveys

You can also get a much more extensive guide to surveying Piping Plovers, their habitats, techniques for survey, and ID tips by watching our helpful “Piping Plovers in the Caribbean: Identification, Habitats, and Practical Considerations for Winter Surveys” webinar given by Piping Plover survey expert Sidney Maddock.

We want as many people as possible to join in our effort to look for Piping Plovers during the 2023 CWC regional count period. Be sure to watch Sidney Maddock’s webinar before you plan your surveys. You can also use and share these survey tips to get the most out of your Piping Plover surveys.

When you do your surveys please treat them like all your other CWC surveys. This means you should count all the bird species that you see (in addition to any Piping Plovers). Make sure you enter your data in eBird Caribbean using one of the CWC protocols on Step 2 of data entry (online). If using the eBird app, set your portal to eBird Caribbean to access the CWC options for your checklists.

December 22, 2022

Holiday Traditions with Birds

The holidays are here again! It is a special time for togetherness and gratitude, but for many it can also be very demanding—cleaning, entertaining, and gift giving. Exhausted and anxious is not how we want you to experience the holidays. We at BirdsCaribbean have compiled a list of traditional activities that have been adapted to benefit birds and minimize your stress.

We want you to make memories with your family and friends while engaging in activities that increase your knowledge and appreciation of Caribbean birds and help you to inspire others to be more bird-friendly for years to come. No matter which activities you choose, kids and adults alike are sure to have fun, and these activities can be done at any time of the year.

Of course birds will be featured and accompanied by amazing photos, natural history tidbits, and actions we can all take this holiday season to reduce threats to their survival.

A calm and relaxed festive season is on the horizon! Just make sure you’re following us @BirdsCaribbean and check back as new posts will be added until December 31st!

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas—Ways to Decrease your Plastic Use this Holiday Season

With family and friends to host, gifts galore, and huge grocery hauls during the build-up to Christmas, there is extra everything! Our single use consumption goes up this time of year big-time—packaging, gift wrap, decorations, food containers, plastic cutlery, the list goes on. This surge in plastic waste continues to threaten our health, our environment and wildlife. Marine animals are also harmed by plastic pollution.

The Masked Booby, for example, can mistake plastic in the ocean for fish and squid. Once ingested plastic reduces the volume of the stomach which often leads to starvation and other health problems. Seabirds may also feed their chicks bits and pieces of plastic too. Additionally, during courtship males will present females with tokens, traditionally rocks or feathers, but lately this includes plastic debris too, which is later used to decorate their nests.

But there is hope! You can reduce your plastic waste while still making your season merry and bright by following these top tips:

✨Use fabric wraps that can be used again next year. Or follow your grandmother and save the gift bags you receive to put other people’s gifts in.

✨Make your own decorations from biodegradable materials.

✨Ditch the plastic-wrapped veg and fruits and head to your local farmer’s market, don’t forget your market bag/reusable tote!

✨Avoid disposable cutlery. It’s convenient but not good for the environment. Try hosting smaller gatherings or asking guests to reuse their cutlery for different courses and don’t forget to rinse- we don’t think fruit cake and ham would be a good flavor combo!

If you’ve got other fantastic ways we can reduce our plastic use this holiday season, do let us know in the Comments below!

Shop with the Ultimate Bird-friendly Gift Guide—Gift Ideas that are Relatively Inexpensive and Meaningful

With Christmas fast approaching, we wanted to share some gift ideas with you. They are perfect for bird and nature lovers in your life, and even for those that are tricky to buy for. For all of these options, their purchase benefits people, habitats, and birds like the Endangered Whistling Warbler. We’ve provided a handy customizable template in Canva for a gift card for all the gifts below that you can present to your loved one!

✨For some people making a donation in their honor is an extremely meaningful gift. Your loved ones will be happy to know that their gifts will equip Caribbean conservationists with the tools and skills they need to increase the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of birds in the region. Your generous gift (no amount is too small!) will help BirdsCaribbean achieve our ambitious goals for bird conservation in 2023 – learn more here!

✨Some of the best gifts can’t be wrapped! From verdant mountain ranges to tranquil moments at the seaside, the Caribbean provides ample opportunities for birding, adventure, and recentering. You can buy an experience for loved ones, like a guided bird tour at your local nature reserve. It takes up no space and best of all you’ll help create memories. If you need help finding certified Caribbean guides, do check our Caribbean Birding Trail website guide page.

✨You can also give the gift of community with a membership to BirdsCaribbean or to your local NGO. When you become a member of BirdsCaribbean you become part of an important community committed to conserving Caribbean birds and their habitats. Collectively, members make possible the outstanding programs, research, on-the-ground conservation actions, and educational resources that get people outside and interested in birds.

✨ Give the gift of birdsong and at the same time help to conserve birds! In 2019, Shika Shika produce an album of birdsong inspired music using the songs of endangered species in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. You can purchase the whole album online at this link.

Check out the handy gift card template in Canva for a gift card that you can customize and present to your loved one!

The Whistling Warbler can only be found on the island of St Vincent (St Vincent and the Grenadines). It is quite rare and elusive to spot, restricted to mountainous habitat. Earlier this year, together with the Forestry Department staff and Antioch University researchers, we conducted a two-week pilot survey for this endemic gem and other forest species, to assess the effects of La Soufrière eruption on their population and distribution – catch up on the blog here. Funding for this survey was provided by our donors who gave quickly and generously to our relief appeal for St Vincent. We are continuing our work in St Vincent in 2023 with more surveys of the warbler, a Landbird Monitoriing Training Workshop with the St Vincent Forestry Department, and writing a Conservation Action Plan for this endangered species – you can help us with much-needed funding for this work here.

Get Festive! Plant a Native Tree

We know that one of the many ways people get into the holiday spirit is by putting up their Christmas tree. The twinkling lights and decorations radiate cheer and positivity. However, in the Caribbean there may be more fake than live trees which in the long term may not be the most environmentally friendly or financially sound choice. Instead, we suggest you get a live native plant or tree. Need some help deciding what to plant? Check our free ebook ‘Heritage Plants’ (available in English and Spanish) for ideas.

Backyard birds like mockingbirds, warblers, bananaquits, pigeons, doves, hummingbirds and many other birds will be sure to visit your yard! In this post’s photo a female Antillean Crested Hummingbird can be seen enjoying the nectar from a flower. Hummingbirds in particular are welcome visitors to backyards because their dazzling colors are always a delight to see. More importantly they act as pollinators and control plant pests by eating small insects too.

It’s win-win! You create a landscape that enhances the local environment, and offers shade, flowers, and fruits for you to enjoy. Your local flora and fauna benefits as native plants provide food and shelter for your backyard birds and other wildlife. They also increase the curb appeal of your property, decrease cooling costs (with mature trees), and improve your mental health.

If you don’t have the yard space, you can gift it to someone who does or get a potted native plant for your balcony or porch. You can also support local reforestation efforts in your country by signing up to help replant trees or donating to an NGO.

Peck the Halls with Hanging Bird Feeders

Bringing friends and family together is one of the best things about Christmas and nothing brings people together like a delicious meal. This year you can share the friendship, fun, and food with birds by hanging edible ornaments on trees in your garden. The White-winged Dove is one of many birds that will readily use bird feeders with a supply of millet, cracked corn, sunflower seeds, and other grains.

Choosing a tree is pretty simple because luckily, birds are not too picky. However, you’ll want a tree with plenty of horizontal branches so seed ornaments, other decorative feeders, and hummingbird feeders can hang freely and give the birds space to feed. It would be wise to choose a tree that offers shelter to both the birds and ornaments from direct sunlight and rain.

There are many ways you can use bird food to decorate your tree. You can string chunks of orange, papaya, pine and bananas along the branches. Or you can make birdseed ornaments in festive shapes with your kids! Check out this DIY video from the National Audubon Society. If you would prefer an inexpensive and biodegradable option, check out our Orange Fruit Cup Bird Feeder activity here.

To hang ornaments, use small lengths of natural twine to make loops or bows for each ornament. Holiday-themed or red ribbons can be added to attract the birds’ attention. Do not use thin thread or nylon string which the birds can become entangled in.

Remember to replace as needed, chances are other wildlife like lizards will also visit your feeders.

Lastly, as this is the season of togetherness we encourage you to prepare edible ornaments and decorate a tree for birds and other wildlife with your family, church group, school group, and other organizations too!

Build a Birdhouse for a Family of Birds

Many of us have a tradition to build a gingerbread house but how about building a birdhouse this year? You won’t be able to indulge in a yummy treat once completed but you will be providing a home for a family of birds this spring!

Birdhouses, also known as nesting boxes, provide a place for birds to build their nests, protected from the weather and predators. In return, birds will help out in many ways in your garden by controlling pests and weeds. Since birds eat insects, they will help to eliminate unwanted pests in your yard and use of harmful pesticides. Some birds also love to eat weed seeds, reducing how often you have to clear the weeds away from your garden.

Getting a birdhouse can be as simple as heading to your local garden or hardware store and buying one or building one yourself. Here are 28 free DIY birdhouse plans from The Spruce

Building a birdhouse can be a family activity; adults can cut and assemble the house and children can paint and decorate. Even better, you can host a birdhouse building party and invite neighbors, friends and other relatives to build birdhouses for their own yards. Provide some festive tunes and light refreshment, and you’ll be all set.

In nature, birds will seek tree cavities or woodpecker holes to nest and raise their family. However in today’s world natural cavities can be hard to find. Forests are being cleared for development, and in urban areas old and rotting palms are promptly removed. Wooden fence posts and electricity poles have been replaced with concrete, metal or treated wood. Competition for these limited sites is high especially between cavity nesters, Hispaniolan Woodpeckers and Hispaniolan Parakeet in the Dominican Republic. Learn more about the nest boxes Simón Guerrero installed at his university during this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.

Donate Your Old Binoculars to Your Local Birding Club or Environmental Organization

We hope that Santa was especially good to you this year and gifted you the clearest and latest state-of-the-art binoculars you’ve wanted so badly. Now, perhaps you’re wondering what to do with your old gear. Why not give it a new purpose? This year we’re asking you to support new birders by donating your pre-used or unused binoculars, scopes and bird guides too, to your local birding club or environmental organization. This will allow them to have more enjoyable birdwatching experiences while developing their skills.

Your binoculars, scopes or guides can support education and conservation projects, particularly here in the Caribbean where birding equipment is pricey and somewhat difficult to source. From citizen scientists collecting data as part of a global effort, to children in remote communities seeing close-up views of their island’s endemic birds and undergraduate researchers advancing our understanding of birds, there are many who can benefit from your donation. This way we can all pass on our appreciation and respect for birds and birdwatching to the next generation.

Your binoculars and scopes should be in good working condition. If they are broken, check to see if they’re still under warranty and, if so, whether the manufacturer can repair them.

If you wish to donate binoculars (used or new) to BirdsCaribbean, contact Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean – we’ll make sure we get them to organizations that urgently need them in the Caribbean!⁠

If you’re new to birding or thinking about joining the fun birding community and don’t know where to start, read our blog 10 Tips Every New Birder Should Know.

Feathered Family Fun

While your friends and family are visiting this holiday season, why not host a game night and have some fun together while learning about the Caribbean’s migratory and endemic birds? We have a variety of activities that will help you learn about and explore your natural environment. They have been created for all ages and most can be done at home using materials at hand. This is a great way to bond and build memories.

The activities are free and can be downloaded, and printed if needed: Caribbean endemic birds and migratory birds.

For those who want a more relaxed game night, you will enjoy our timed jigsaw puzzles, word searches, crossword puzzles, memory match games, fill-in-the blanks, coloring pages, DIY crafts, and more activities that can be done individually or in teams, using your phone or laptop. These can be done in between watching the holiday movies and feasting.

On the other hand if you’re looking to help your guests harness their competitive spirit then you would be interested in our bird trivia, scavenger hunt, nest building competition, operation food drop, migration miles, plastic investigator and much more.

Available for download also, in English and Spanish, are coloring books and our graphic novel , which was released in September of this year!

Lift Your Spirits with Birdsongs

Like music, birdsongs have a positive effect on the brain which improves our mental and emotional health, happiness, and wellbeing. But it isn’t just the enjoyment you feel when you hear your favorite birds sing. Researchers have discovered that bird songs and calls have restorative benefits capable of helping people recover from stress, and allowing them to restore and refocus their attention.

Indeed, it is vital that we not allow these birds to be silenced. Climate change, development, poaching, and pollution are just some of the threats plaguing the future of our birds. To raise awareness of the dire situation facing birds, Shika Shika collaborated with local artists to create tracks inspired by Endangered birds in the region. They were then compiled into an album, ‘A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.’

Released back in 2020, the album is a unique blend of electronic music and birdsong giving listeners an immersive experience into the beauty and wonder of the natural songs of the Jamaican Blackbird, Zapata Wren and Bay-breasted Cuckoo among others. Profits from album sales will go to BirdsCaribbean as well as two other bird conservation organizations in Mexico and Central America.

If you’re interested in exploring other regions through birdsongs, listen to their other albums too! A Guide to the Birdsong of South America and A Guide to the Birdsong of West Africa also showcases the diversity of birds and artists whilst supporting local conservation organizations. Learn more about the artists, creative process and purchase these albums here https://shikashika.org/birdsong/

These albums are perfect for the music lovers and bird lovers in your life, at just 12 euros (~$12USD). Or, just treat yourself to some uplifting organic music and at the same time, support organizations working to protect birds and their habitats!

Festive Birding

Looking for an easy way to burn off the Christmas feast? Then put down your phone, get off the couch, and head to the great outdoors to look for birds!

After weeks of cleaning, shopping, entertaining and cooking, birding provides the perfect opportunity to reduce stress, calm your mind, and revive your energy. In addition to your native and endemic birds, you’ll want to keep an eye out for migratory species that winter in the Caribbean like the American Redstart and Cape May Warbler. If you’re heading to your favorite coastal area, you may be lucky enough to see a powerful Merlin catching small shorebirds like Sanderlings in mid-air.

You’ll be delighted to know that birds benefit from being watched too. As people spend more time in nature appreciating its beauty and wonder and reaping the physical and health benefits, they feel a greater desire to conserve nature. They are likely to act upon this desire by actively participating in restoration programs, raising awareness, and lobbying for better environmental laws which protect habitats for birds and other wildlife.

As usual, before you begin any physical activity you must warm-up. You can do some light stretching but we really want you to have an enjoyable birding experience so here are some additional resources to help you prep.

10 tips to get you started

Birding 101 webinar

Warbler identification

Shorebird identification resources

HAPPY BIRDING!

Become a Citizen Scientist

Is one of your New Year resolutions to spend more time outdoors, birding, and/or helping with conservation efforts? Then, join one of the many citizen science programs that rely on the eyes and ears of people who appreciate birds and nature, to make observations and collect data. In these programs scientists and volunteers work together to gather data on bird diversity and numbers to answer real-world questions. The first citizen science program in January is the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC). Now in its 14th year the CWC 2023 begins on Saturday, January 14 and runs until Saturday, February 3.

Learn how you can take part in this region-wide survey in our blog.

Why waterbirds? The Caribbean is home to 185 species of waterbirds. Many are migratory, some are endemic but all face a range of threats, including habitat loss through development, climate change, pollution, and hunting. A structured, long-term census is essential for gathering information on numbers and habitat use in order to protect and manage habitats and conserve this exceptional group of birds.

What will you do? Head to a beach, pond, mangrove or wherever you think there might be waterbirds, observe and tally ALL the birds you see during your count period. Then submit your lists to eBird Caribbean. More detailed instructions as well as many free waterbird and shorebird ID resources can be found linked in the blog above.

What will you need? ID guides (free! on our website) and field guide, binoculars, notebook to record your observations (if you’re not using the eBird mobile app to keep track), a friend or two, and water. Our expert opinion is that it’s always best to bird with a friend or group, they’ll take notes, help with counting and bird ID, and (maybe) even share their snacks.

Thank you for helping us conserve our waterbirds! Have fun, be safe, and do share your lovely photos with us using the #CWC2023 and/or tagging us @BirdsCaribbean

December 22, 2022

Keep an Eye Out for Piping Plovers During CWC 2023

Piping Plover survey promo graphic Help us count Piping plovers during CWC 2023 — Click to download as a pdf

The 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count will be taking place at the start of 2023, from January 14 to February 3. This year we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. You can do this by planning your CWC surveys in places where Piping Plovers have been seen before (explore their sightings on eBird). Or by doing surveys in places where there might be suitable habitat for wintering Piping Plovers. We have plenty of information and resources to help you plan your surveys and pick out Piping Plovers from the pack!

Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!

We are tracking where Piping Plovers have been seen during CWC 2023. Send us your sightings as you make them and we will update the map. This mean you can track our progress in finding Piping Plover live during the survey. Click on each point for more information about each sighting.

What to look for

Banding-Piping-Plover-Graphic-1Page-letter

Download these graphics as a pdf following these links: Plover ID guide Guide to reading bands

They also have a unique two-note high to low pee-too call that you can listen out for.

These little birds can sometimes be very tricky to spot and blend in to their surrounding so you’ll need to look carefully to find them! If you do find any Piping Plovers don’t forget to scan their legs for colour bands. Finding and reporting these bands can help us learn more about where different breeding populations spend the winter. You can find out how to report bands in our helpful guide (above). More information and different versions of this guide to reporting banded Piping Plovers are available to download on our Shorebird Resources webpage.

Where to look

Thanks to dedicated survey efforts over the past few years, we already know about some of the main islands and areas where Piping Plovers spend the winter in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos Islands. We also know they have been spotted in smaller numbers in other countries, including Puerto Rico and its offshore islands and cays, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the US and British Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Anguilla, and Bonaire (there are just one or two records for some of these countries). But in the ‘right’ habitat there are likely more Piping Plovers to be found, both in ‘new’ locations on islands where they have been seen before and perhaps some islands where they haven’t been seen yet. We need more people out there looking for them!

Click on each image to enlarge then right click to “save as….” a jpeg. Use these links to download each image in higher resolution as a pdf: Sand Flats, Mangroves, Beach Wrack, Rocky Shore

Be part of the Plover Patrol

Thanks to Environment and Climate change Canada for helping to funding these resources and our efforts to survey Piping Plovers during our 2023 CWC!

December 16, 2022

Birding, Learning, and Exploring the Wondrous Wetlands of Barbados

group photo at a wetland in Barbados — Workshop Participants in Barbados.

With bird migration in full swing September was the perfect time for BirdsCaribbean to head to Barbados for a Wetlands Education Training Workshop! From September 27-28, 2022 30 participants took part in this ‘train the trainers’ event at Walkers Reserve, where they learned all about the wondrous wetlands and wetland birds on Barbados. During the two days of fun-filled and hands-on learning, participants were armed with tools, resources, and inspiration to help them share what they learned with others. Read all about what the workshop was like from the perspective of workshop participant Meike Joseph.

In September I completed a two-day Wetlands and Bird Education Training Workshop held by BirdsCaribbean at Walkers Reserve, Barbados. Initially, when I found out about this workshop, I got excited. I see birds on a regular basis but have not been able to identify them. So now you know why I joined this workshop – I wanted to learn how to identify birds. As it turned out I learnt so much more than that! Considering that this workshop was just two days, the information was extremely useful for my field of work. I did not feel overwhelmed at any point. The facilitators made learning easy, explaining all aspects of each topic in its simplest form so we could easily understand and absorb the information.

Talking about wetlands

On the first day of the workshop we were given a substantial amount of learning materials including bird identification charts, colouring books, and a book, Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers’ Resource Book, which is packed with information on Caribbean wetlands and birds, including many educational activities that can be done with kids and communities. We were also given a pop quiz as soon as registration was completed. Needless to say, I panicked as I didn’t know much about birds or wetlands! However, this quiz was helpful. As we did the same quiz at the end of the two-day period, it allowed the facilitators and myself to see how much we had learned, and it was a lot!

The group at Walkers Reserve learn about different types of wetlands. — The group at Walkers Reserve learn about different types of wetlands from Michele Kading.

Marvelous mangroves

We gained a significant amount of knowledge on wetlands, including definitions of wetlands and what we would find within these amazing ecosystems, with a focus on mangroves. This intrigued me as I am very passionate about them. We received a booklet on Mangroves of the Caribbean which assisted in mangrove identification, and also learnt about how important they are as homes and protection for all kinds of birds, fish, crustaceans and other organisms.

Learning about the different types of mangroves on Barbados.

Pouring a pond!

We then participated in a demonstration titled Pour-a-Pond (Activity 2-C in Wondrous West Indian Wetlands). This was the highlight of the first day for me. We made a small pond-like structure from a sheet of plastic which was filled with water from the ponds at Walkers Reserve. We were then asked to catch and identify the various organisms that we spotted in the water, using an identification chart that was given to us by Dr. Sorenson and Ms. Kading. This activity resulted in lots of interaction between the students who were all fascinated by the many organisms they found. After this demonstration, we learned a lot about the importance and value of our wetlands, the ongoing destruction of these unique ecosystems, and why we should make efforts to save them.

Next, John Webster, an experienced birder and bird guide in Barbados gave an excellent presentation on Wetlands in Barbados and the many resident and migratory birds that use these sites. I found this riveting! I am a local person, but I had never seen or heard about some of these locations. John pointed out that many of these wetland areas were once used for bird shooting but some are now becoming conservation areas.

John Webster talks about wetlands in Barbados — John Webster talking to the group about wetlands in Barbados

Time to get active

At noon, we separated into six groups to partake in different activities from the workbook. We then demonstrated them to the other participants. The title of my group’s activity was ‘Salty Currents’ where we gathered materials and used them to show what occurs when fresh and saltwater meet, as they do in swamps. We also discussed how water temperature and salinity influence plant and animal habitats in wetlands. All activities were wetland-and bird-focused and resulted in extensive discussions, and even heated debates!

One such activity, called ‘Difficult Decisions,’ was a role-play where participants in the group discussed real-life environmental issues in a Town Hall setting. Each person took on the role of a different stakeholder, all with different interests in the outcome, for example, debating the fate of a mangrove slated for destruction to make way for a new hotel. The development company, environmental minister, tourism minister, fisherman, eco-tourism guide, local restaurant owner, environmentalist, etc. all have different opinions about whether or not the development should move forward. Each passionately argued their case and voiced their opinion, sometimes sounding like well-known local public figures in similar situations! This brought on laughs but the exercise is valuable in that it places students in the position of decision-makers and challenges them to make up their own minds about what to do.

Another important activity, ‘A Hunter’s Tale,‘ addressed the issue of hunting. This was another role play intended to stimulate students to think about the issue of hunting and make up their own minds about it. Barbados provides important stopover habitats for many migratory shorebirds, however, many of these wetlands are private “shooting swamps” managed for hunting. Hunting has a long history in Barbados and in the past, tens of thousands of shorebirds were killed each fall. Thankfully, some of the “shooting swamps” have been converted into shorebird refuges in recent years, now providing vital habitat for birds like the Lesser Yellowlegs that need a place to rest and feed on their long migrations. These refuges are now wonderful places to see hundreds of shorebirds and waterbirds up close – we were grateful to the hunting clubs that allowed us to visit and enjoy the birds on the field trip the next day!

“There were many highlights to my learning experience at the workshop. It was exciting gaining knowledge on birds but also thrilling to learn about wetlands, particularly the mangroves within them.” – Meike Joseph

Birding 101

Following the peer-teaching activities was a presentation on bird identification. Prior to this presentation, many of us had limited knowledge on identifying birds. We learnt about how to identify birds, including observing size and shape, beak size and curvature, color patterns, behavior, habitat, and more. I found it very interesting that birds change their feather colors or plumage, based on the season – the breeding or non-breeding season. This would sometimes make it tricky to identify some birds! This lesson added to my eagerness to observe birds on Day Two.

Lecture on bird ID — Lisa Sorenson gave the group some helpful tips on how to identify birds. (photo by Alex Sansom)

After this presentation, the day ended and we were on our way home, armed with a range of learning materials and a significant amount of knowledge on wetlands and birds.

Day two: On the road we go

Day Two was one of adventure and learning. We headed off to two wetlands to observe and identify the various birds that we saw with our binoculars which had been given, compliments of BirdCaribbean, to be used for continued outreach and education at Walkers Reserve.

Group watching birds through binoculars — Meike (in the foreground) and the group using binoculars to watch birds at Congo Road Swamp and Private Bird Sanctuary, Barbados. (photo by Kierra Clarke)

That relaxing feeling when bird watching

Our first site was Congo Road Private Bird Sanctuary, a former shorebird shooting swamp. We focused on observing and identifying all the birds that we saw. Ms. Kading first led an activity called Sound Mapping (Activity 6-J), which I thought was quite calming. It was a highlight for me at this location. We were asked to sit quietly, to listen to all the sounds around us and also to note the direction of these sounds. This made me realize how long it had been since I quieted down and really tuned in to nature’s beautiful sounds. As I was sitting and listening, I also noticed a bird hunting for food in the water, diving to catch its prey – a fascinating sight.

The second place we went to was one that was unfamiliar to me – a beautiful wetland on the north of the island called Foster’s Swamp, another former shooting swamp, turned bird sanctuary, filled with a great variety of birds. It’s here that I was able to observe a unique bird for me, a juvenile American Golden Plover resting on the grass. This was a beautiful and informative day. We used the knowledge gained from Day One to assist in identifying different wetland birds.

A beautiful American Golden Plover in Barbados, this bird is less common in the Caribbean than the similar looking Black-bellied Plover. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)

Getting up and active, the group take part in a migration game, Migration Headache, Activity 4-G) on day two of workshop

Later at Foster’s Swamp the group also took part in several of the fun games and activities from the Wetlands Workbook about migration and food webs. Games played included “Migration Headache” which involved ‘migrating’ (running) from breeding areas to increasingly limited wetland habitat (paper plates), learning about the threats faced by migrant birds from habitat loss, pollution, hunting and hurricanes. In “Deadly Links” the participants playing the role of ‘Ospreys’ caused havoc amongst their hapless ‘prey’ – only to discover that they had consumed so many pesticides (accumulated in the food-chain) that their next clutch of eggs wouldn’t hatch. Another intriguing activity was Mangrove Metaphors—learning about the functions and values of mangroves from everyday household objects (e.g., sponge, sieve, cereal box, etc.). Other games involved making a ‘human food web’ and then untangling it, as well as learning about how limited food and habitat resources affect migrating birds in a game called “Habitat Havoc.” Thankfully the weather had cooled during the afternoon and these games got everyone up and active!

Got that Certificate!

The second day of the birding workshop ended with us receiving our certificates stating that we successfully completed the Wondrous West Indian Wetlands Education Training Workshop. Gaining this knowledge on birds was personally satisfying and also assisted me in creating birding tours.

Certificate being given to Meike — Meike gets her certificate from Michele Kading and Lisa Sorenson. (photo by Kierra Clarke)

Meieke Joseph is a Project Officer and Tour Manager for Walkers Institute for Regeneration Research Education and Design (WIRRED) and environmental non-profit based at Walkers. Whilst studying at UWI Cave Hill she completed a research project on Remnant Wetlands on the West Coast of Barbados. This has fueled her passion to work on mangrove restoration on the island and has also motivated her to work towards more regenerative practices for Barbados.

This workshop was made possible with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and additional support from Walkers Reserve, WIRRED, CPRI Barbados, Vortex Optics, US Forest Service International Programs, and Southeastern Printing. Thanks also to Congo Road and Fosters Swamp Private Bird Sanctuaries for kindly hosting us on the field trip. You can learn more about the Wonderful West Indian Wetlands project here.

If you want to learn more about shorebirds in the Caribbean check out our shorebird resources page here, which has downloadable ID resources, outreach materials, videos and information pages.

Wet Work in Jamaica’s Wondrous Wetlands

November 14, 2022

Bird Banding in the Rockies— A Young Bahamian Shares His Experiences

Chris holding a male Western Tanager. (Photo by Zach Hutchinson)

Chris Johnson is a 21-year-old birder, photographer, and conservationist from The Bahamas, and a student at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. In March 2022, he attended BirdsCaribbean’s first Caribbean Bird Banding Training Workshop in Nassau, The Bahamas, where he had his first experiences learning about bird banding as a tool for research and monitoring. After the workshop BirdsCaribbean selected Chris for a Bird Banding Internship, so that he could continue to train and hone his banding skills. Here, Chris shares his experiences banding birds this summer with Audubon Rockies in Casper, Wyoming.

The well-known phrase “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” is true even in the literal sense. The movements of birds during migration, their age, body condition, reproductive status, population trends, and more can all be discovered with birds in the hand. Banding is an important tool for understanding how wild bird populations are faring. I was thrilled at the opportunity to further my knowledge of bird banding in Casper, Wyoming, and especially excited to travel to one of my bucket list locations, the magnificent Rocky Mountains!

My first impression: My mind was blown!

Upon arriving in Casper, I was blown away by the incredible landscapes that I’d never seen before. The sweeping grasslands with picturesque hills and mountains were something I had always dreamt of seeing. I experienced new habitats such as riparian wetlands, grasslands, and subalpine forests, along with the birds that inhabit them, such as Black-billed Magpies, Western Tanagers, and Black-Headed Grosbeaks. This was just the start of an unforgettable experience to come.

The picturesque plains and mountains that greeted Chris on his way to Casper, Wyoming as seen from the bus on a highway. — The picturesque plains and mountains that greeted Chris on his way to Casper, Wyoming. (Photo by Thomas hawk).

A male Black-headed Grosbeak perched on a branch, showing its black and white upper parts, orange neck and black head. — A male Black-headed Grosbeak. (Photo by Alan D Wilson).

A busy banding day

As I woke up on the first day of bird banding, I was excited to begin banding and handling some amazing new birds in a new location. Upon arrival at Edness K. Wilkins State Park, the temperature was 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius); a wee bit chilly for this Bahamian. While we ended up having to wait an hour or two for the temperature to warm up a bit, our total number of extracted and processed birds at the end of the day was close to 60 individuals! In previous banding experiences back at home, more than 20 birds made for an extraordinary day. While it was the busiest banding day I’ve ever had, it was a great way to kick off the start of the banding season in Casper and set the tone for what was shaping up to be a great summer.

View of verdant hills and plains in Wyoming, from Casper Mountain. (Photo by Rich Hermann)

As I had very little experience in extracting, processing, and banding birds, the first few banding sessions helped to refresh my memory on handling birds safely and bird banding ethics. I had the pleasure, during my internship, of working closely with Zach Hutchinson (Community Science Coordinator of Audubon Rockies). I learned how to run an effective banding station and the “ins and outs” of processing the data collected from migratory and resident songbirds.

More local banders needed in the Bahamas

I am currently studying wildlife conservation at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. I hope to return home to The Bahamas to start a banding station and begin collecting data on our resident and migratory bird species. The Bahamas does not currently have any active bird banding stations run by a local person. . While some birds have been studied in The Bahamas by US and Canadian scientists, it is crucial to have more Bahamians with intimate knowledge of the local birds and their behavior to lead this research and advance Bahamian bird conservation.

Zach has had many years of experience operating the bird banding stations in Casper. He has a thorough, comprehensive knowledge of how to run an effective bird banding station, extract and process various bird species, and train volunteers.. As the Casper stations are quite small, it was easy for Zach to share his knowledge with me. I learned more about bird banding in the past three months from Zach and the folks at Audubon Rockies than I would have learned in a year back at home!

A giant leap in banding experience

I had the opportunity to band at Keyhole State Park and at a site on Casper Mountain, besides Edness K. Wilkins State Park. The primary training I received was in banding songbirds but I also got great practice with hummingbirds and Mourning Doves. Before this internship, I had only extracted a total of two birds from mist nets and banded one. After this internship, I can say that I have extracted approximately 105 birds and banded approximately 99! While I’m just starting my bird banding training journey, this internship has given me knowledge in extracting birds from mist nets, identifying molt stages of different birds, sexing and understanding the health of birds in hand, and using the new Wolfe, Ryder, Pyle (WRP) codes to accurately determine the age of a bird.

Chris holds a Rufous Hummingbird in his hand. Only the bird's head and bill can be seen in the photo.

Hummingbirds were banded too, like this tiny Rufous Hummingbird. (Photo by Chris Johnson).

A Mountain Chickadee perched on top of a rock.

A Mountain Chickadee. (Photo by Alan D Wilson)

While we extracted and banded many common Wyoming birds like Yellow Warblers, Common Grackles, and American Robins, some of my favorites for practicing extractions and processing were House Wrens, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, Bullock’s Orioles, and Black-headed Grosbeaks.

Not all banding stations are the same

While the BirdsCaribbean Banding Workshop back home served as an incredible introduction to the world of bird banding, every station operates a bit differently. Each will use slightly differing methods for station setup, net setup and extraction, and for processing birds, to operate at the highest efficiency. Banding equipment in The Bahamas differs quite a lot from the banding equipment that we used in Casper. The methodology for setting up an effective bird banding station was also quite different. Nevertheless,I cannot wait to utilize some of these new methods and tricks to enhance bird banding when I return to The Bahamas.

Although the training was the main purpose of my internship, I also grabbed the opportunity to see much of Wyoming on days off! A personal favorite would have to be the jaw-dropping Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I also truly enjoyed attending my first ever BioBlitz in Guernsey State Park, documenting the incredible fauna that Wyoming has to offer. A BioBlitz is a fun but intense event where students, teachers, volunteers, and scientists collaborate to survey as many species of flora and fauna in a particular area over the span of 24 hours.

Chris is sitting in front of the Grand Teton National Park sign. — Chris stops for a photo in front of the Grand Teton National Park sign, during the bioblitz. (Photo by Chris Johnson)

After attending this internship, my appreciation of bird banding has grown exponentially. I hope to continue practicing my bird banding skills before returning home to The Bahamas. My goal is to eventually start my own MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal/Monitoring Neotropical Migrants on their Wintering Grounds) stations, while studying migratory, endemic, and range-restricted Bahamian bird species.

I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to bird banding. But now I am inspired, and eager to see what the future holds for bird research in The Bahamas. I want to contribute to it back home, in some way.

I’d like to thank Zach Hutchinson and all the folks at Audubon Rockies for all of their support and training over the summer, and Nate and Jenny Edwards for their incredible hospitality and welcoming me into their home for 3 months. I’d also like to thank Ellis Hein and Stacey Scott for their efforts during the banding season and showing me around Casper, and getting some new lifers along the way. Lastly, I’d like to thank Holly Garrod, Maya Wilson, and everyone at BirdsCaribbean for making this summer possible. Without their support I wouldn’t have had this incredible opportunity and experience to band birds in this remarkable location.

BirdsCaribbean would also like to thank Zack Hutchinson and others with Audubon Rockies for supporting this training. Chris’ internship was funded in part by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Fund.

November 8, 2022

A New Adventure for a Motus Tracking Trainee: An Eventful Journey and a Climbing Lesson in Barbados

Motus team in Barbados, standing by the sea with palm trees in the background — Cesar (second from the right) in Barbados with the Motus team- Lisa Sorenson and Maya Wilson, from BirdsCaribbean and Todd Alleger from the Northeast Motus Collaboration. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)

Cesar Montero is a nature tour guide based in Vieques, Puerto Rico. After a fortuitous meeting at the 2022 AOS-BC conference in Puerto Rico, where Cesar attended a Motus workshop, he is now in training as an installation expert for the Caribbean Motus Collaboration! This effort by BirdsCaribbean and our partners will expand the Motus Wildlife Tracking system in the Caribbean. Here he recounts his experience installing a Motus station on the island of Barbados… and his complicated journey to get there!

Finally, the day had come. As I started my journey to Barbados, Fiona, then a Category 1 hurricane, had made landfall in Puerto Rico the day before. The storm had triggered floods that destroyed roads, homes and disrupted the island’s power supply. I had an inkling that this trip was going to be an adventure.

Trying to get there: the frustrations of inter-island travel

Part One of my journey began with taking a 7:45 A.M flight from the island of Vieques to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is a 30-minute flight in a small plane, which scares me because you can feel every bit of turbulence. But the view of the beautiful waters of Puerto Rico to your right and being at eye level with the peak of the El Yunque to your left, truly makes the flight one of a kind. From the smaller airport in Isla Grande, I took a taxi to the international airport in Carolina, where I would take the next flight to Miami.

View across beach at Bathsheba Barbados — It was a long journey full of delays, but the team woke up to a beautiful view on the north coast of Barbados (Bathsheba). (Photo Lisa Sorenson)

But not so fast! The flight was delayed. To kill some time, I bought some fast food at the airport. In Vieques we don’t have any fast food restaurants, so eating it is almost like a delicacy for me. I regret it every time afterwards!

After landing in Miami, I made my way to the terminal and waited for my flight to Barbados. What did I do in the meantime? You guessed it – I got more fast food!

At Miami Airport I met Todd Alleger, the Motus expert who would be guiding the team through the installation process. First Maya and then Lisa saw us and we all caught up with each other. The last time we met was at the AOS-BC conference in Puerto Rico in June. As the airline started to call the groups to board the plane, I was in the last group; everyone was already on the plane. I walked up to the counter and presented my passport. This was my first time traveling outside of the U.S. or its territories, so I was excited. But… there was another delay.

My heart sank. The team was on the flight already but I was now put on standby. It was a full flight but some people had not shown up yet. Then a family came running up and were able to board. Then another family. I began to get a little worried. When another person on standby boarded the plane, I was sure I was doomed. Then at last I heard my name being called, whew! I boarded and the fourth and final leg was under way.

Getting down to the basics at Walkers Reserve

I was in Barbados at last!

The next day, we headed to Walkers Reserve in northeastern Barbados, a former sand quarry now transformed into a nature reserve, where we would be erecting the first Motus station on the island. Shae Warren, the Director of Projects at Walkers Institute for Regeneration Research Education and Design Inc. (WIRRED) greeted us and gave us a tour of the reserve. We walked through the potential sites for the station and at each location we visited, the landscape was stunning. It was amazing to see all of the progress they had made in creating a thriving ecosystem, where there had once been a large sand mine. I suggest learning more about its history and the organization’s mission here.

Drone image of Walkers Reserve, Barbados looking across wetlands out to sea — A view across the newly created wetlands and coastline at Walkers reserve. (Photo by Shae Warren)

Motus stations need to be installed in places where the antennas will have a good ‘view’ of the target area that birds are expected to use or pass through. In this case, a good view of the coast and coastal wetlands that migratory shorebirds use was needed. After finalizing the location for the station, the digging began – fortunately, for us, they had an excavator! The next step was to fill the hole with concrete. The WIRRED staff were amazing, helping every step of the way. They made a base box to pour the concrete and also mixed the concrete using their machinery. We all worked together on getting the concrete poured little by little. We made sure to keep it flat and level, as this would form the base of the Motus tower.

The excavator, ready to dig the hole for the station base. (Photo by Maya Wilson)

Todd and Shae watch as the excavator gets to work. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)

Rain didn’t stop us…

On day two the forecast was: rain! We were worried that the concrete would not dry, but the Caribbean sun is no joke and quickly dried it. As it rained Maya, Todd, Shae and I worked on getting all of the rest of the components of the tower together. We assembled the antennas and prepared the wiring and receiving station, as well as the solar power system. Later in the afternoon, the rain had let up. Off we went to fix the tower to the base. It was a matter of adding screws and bolts where they needed to be to make it secure.

Cesar sets to work helping pour the concrete. (Photo by Maya Wilson)

Todd shows Cesar how to connect up the solar panel. (Photo by Maya Wilson)

The antennas were added next. As a trained climber, it was Todd who added the antennas to the tower. The sun was starting to set and the colors in the sky were spectacular. There were even bats flying overhead taking care of the mosquitoes for us. But this also meant we had to work quickly as we were running out of precious sunlight.

Up on the tower…

Todd had attached all of the antennas but he just needed an extra hand to secure the mast full of antennas to the base of the tower. So up the tower I went. The higher up the tower I climbed, the more windy and scary it became. Todd was walking me through the climb every step of the way and made sure I was clipping on to the tower, using his climbing gear he loaned. This calmed my nerves. The sun was setting and there was no time to hesitate, but the sunset and the view of the ocean from the top of the tower, made me feel like I was at the top of a majestic castle. While at the top I helped Todd push and pull the mast into place and also handed him tools to secure it. We were able to finish installing the tower before it was completely dark. The tower was up and the antennas attached!

Cesar Montero and Todd Alleger install the antennas on a Motus station in Barbados (Photo by Maya Wilson)

Todd and Cesar get ready to attach the solar panel. (Photo by Maya Wilson)

And up again…

On the final day of installation we connected the wires from the antennas to the receiving station and set up the solar system. It was decided that I would benefit from more climbing experience, so up the tower I went again, with Todd guiding me every step of the way. This time I was a lot more relaxed and not as scared. There wasn’t much wind and best of all, it wasn’t getting dark! I didn’t have to spend much time up at the top because I was just binding the wiring to the tower. After everything was connected we tested it to make sure the tower was working and receiving data. Everything was in working order. Mission complete!

Aerial view of the completed Motus station. (Photo by Shae Warren)

Cesar, Shae, Maya, and Todd (R-L) at the completed Motus Station. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)

But the adventure was not over just yet. The day before flying back to Miami, Ian, a large and destructive Category 4 hurricane made landfall in Florida and devastated the town in which I grew up, Fort Myers.

My mom and brothers all still live there, so I was very worried. Thankfully I was able to keep in contact with my mom and my flight was not delayed. Fortunately, my family withstood the storm with minimal damage. So back to Vieques via Miami, I went, to continue to advance my knowledge of bird conservation and to eagerly await the next installment of the Caribbean Motus Collaboration project.

It was an exciting start!

I would like to personally thank BirdsCaribbean for choosing me to be a part of the CMC project. This would not have been possible without the support of the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust (VCHT ) Bird Committee every step of the way, leading up to being on this team. Since starting out, there has been an abundance of support for my development that is continuing to grow. Hopefully in the future I will get to meet and personally thank everyone that has made it possible for me to travel to and from this amazing country of Barbados. I am grateful to be able to contribute to advancing our knowledge of migratory birds in the Caribbean through MOTUS and am looking forward to becoming a MOTUS expert!

About Motus and The Caribbean Motus Collaboration

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a powerful collaborative research network developed by Birds Canada. Motus uses automated radio telemetry using a network of Motus stations to study the movements and behavior of flying animals (birds, bats, and insects) that are tagged and tracked by Motus receivers.

In an exciting update, the new Motus station at Walkers Reserve detected its very first tagged bird on the 27th of October! It was a Semipalmated Plover that had been tagged in Canada at the end of September, over 3000 km away from Walkers Reserve!

The new Motus station on Barbados was made possible with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada and advice and support from the Northeast Motus Collaboration (NMC). Big thanks also to Todd Alleger (NMC) for his help in installing this new station. We are also very grateful to Shae Warren and WIRRED staff for their help and support. Barbados provides an important stopover site for migratory shorebirds as they pass through the Caribbean. This is now one of two stations operating on Barbados that are part of the Caribbean Motus Network. You can find out more about Motus in the Caribbean and our Caribbean Motus Collaboration here:

The Caribbean Motus Collaboration—Help us Develop this Exciting New Program!

Two New Motus Stations in Puerto Rico Jumpstart Our Caribbean Motus Collaboration Program

November 4, 2022

The Story of Alonso and Sami: The Puerto Rican Boy and the Plover

Boy holding a model of a Wilson's Plover at a nest — Alonso with his wonderful model!

Following the publication of BirdsCaribbean’s new graphic novel, “Sami the Snowy Plover: Stories of Survival,” its author and illustrator Josmar Esteban Márquez learned how Sami’s story has inspired one Puerto Rican boy! Keep reading to find out more.

The creative arts reach people in different ways, lighting a spark among adults and children of all ages. They can also take children on a voyage of discovery – including birds. Recently, Josmar Márquez received this delightful message from Antoni Arce Quiñones in Puerto Rico:

“Hi Josmar! My child was inspired by Sami’s story. He made a plover for his school presentation and named it Sami. Thanks for your drawings.”

Supported and published by BirdsCaribbean, Marquez’ graphic novel “Sami the Snowy Plover,” (available in English and Spanish), had inspired Quiñones’ young son, Alonso. So much so that he, with help from his Dad, had created a beautiful sculpture of another member of the plover family, the Wilson’s Plover! This shorebird is more common than the Snowy Plover in Puerto Rico where Alonso lives, but faces many of the same conservation challenges as ‘Sami’. He presented this beautiful and detailed model to his classmates at the Montessori School EENUAM (Ecological School for Children Uniting the World), sharing the message of plovers as an example of shorebird migration.

A Snowy Plover. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)

A close up of Alonso’s beautiful model of a Wilson’s Plover at a nest. The detail is amazing and so life-like!

A real Wilson’s Plover. (Photo by Hemant Keshan)

Sharing a love for shorebirds

Quiñones recounted that his son has always been an animal lover, but his particular love for birds grew from around the age of six. More recently, he has become fascinated by plovers and other shorebirds. His father has encouraged his interest, buying books for him and taking him on regular birdwatching and shorebird counting trips. Alonso printed out and read Sami’s story, and decided to name his Wilson’s Plover creation after him.

A group bird watching at a wetland — Alonso looking at birds with others in the group, including shorebird expert Jose Colon. Yes, learning can be fun!

Alonso’s interest in animals and birds was fostered at his school, in his fauna and flora class. José Salguero-Faría, a biologist and ornithologist at the University of Puerto Rico and and member of the local birdwatching organization SOPI (Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña), encouraged Alonso and his classmates’ interest in birds in general during a shore-birding field trip.

Further fun, facts, and activities to be had

According to his Papa, Alonso has been enjoying the drawing tutorials video series, also from Josmar Esteban Márquez , on the BirdsCaribbean YouTube channel and the coloring books and other online activities. from BirdsCaribbean. This includes our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival’s “From the Nest” series, which features fun facts about our endemic birds, as well as coloring pages, puzzles, and activities for kids! These products are all available free of cost; we encourage our members and followers to share them with younger family members and the young at heart!

Recently, plovers have become Alonso’s passion. We hope that the love of a child will help raise awareness and bring hope for Sami and other endangered shorebirds!

resources from BirdsCaribbean for children:

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

New Coloring Book: Color and Protect the Snowy Plover – English and Spanish!

Hot Off the Press! Our New “Endemic Birds of the West Indies” Colouring Book

(English)

Printing now! The Spanish Version of our Endemic Birds Coloring Book

(Spanish)

And the Winners Are…The BirdsCaribbean Zine Contest Produces Beautiful Work!

The BirdsCaribbean Zine Library can be found here:

https://www.flipsnack.com/birdscaribbean/new-shelf.html

(in English and Spanish)

October 11, 2022

Uncovering the Story of F54 – One Osprey’s Journey to Bonaire

Ospry holding fish in its talons — Osprey catching a fish. (Photo by Bernie Duhamel)

Susan, a certified bird guide from Bonaire, was out birding when she spotted a newly arrived Osprey perched on a post. Only when she looked back at her photos did she spot something different about this bird. Read on to find out more about this bird and its amazing migration from Susan.

Fall migration is an exciting time of year in the Caribbean! This is when those of us birding on Bonaire begin to see the arrival of many migratory species, and one of those is the majestic Osprey. Although we do observe Ospreys year-round, the population greatly increases during fall migration and over the winter months.

Many of the Ospreys that spend winter on Bonaire have a highly refined site fidelity. They actually return to the same tree limb, or other favorite perch, each and every winter. For other arriving Ospreys, Bonaire is quite likely to be the first land they encounter on their southern journey. They will rest and recover from a long flight across the Caribbean Sea, before continuing southward to overwintering grounds in South America.

Two bands are better than one…

Banded Osprey perched — The ‘mystery’ banded Osprey photographed on Bonaire. (Photo by Bonaire Bird Tours)

On September 12, 2022, I was birding down in the southern salt flats of Bonaire. Along the way to the southern point, I noticed that one Osprey had just arrived and was perched on its favorite hunting tree. As I continued birding, I spotted a second Osprey perched on a post. Here was a great photo opportunity, I thought, as I snapped off several images. However, it wasn’t until I looked at the images the following day, that I noticed this Osprey wore two bands.

One was a color band and was mostly readable. The number 54 was clearly discernible, but a toe partially obscured the initial letter on the band; it appeared to be an F. Unfortunately, the second band was not readable in my images. Finding a banded bird makes it an individual – it is no longer an anonymous bird among many other anonymous birds. I was curious about this special bird, and so I began my Internet search for registries of banded Osprey to try to find out more, with what little information I had.

But my efforts fell flat- I came away empty handed!

The BirdsCaribbean network: a fountain of knowledge

Every birder needs to be part of a bird network. Since there is just so much to learn about our feathered friends, it’s impossible to know everything. A birder needs a support network–somewhere he or she may go with questions, and, for me, there is no better bird network than BirdsCaribbean. It’s an incredible resource that delivers again and again!

When my initial Internet searches didn’t help, I turned instead to my trusty bird network. And, hey presto! Within just two hours, I learned that Dr. Scott Rush, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Mississippi State University, was mentoring a Ph.D. research assistant, Natasha Murphy, who was banding Ospreys as part of her doctorate program. Now in touch with the person in the know, I learned the backstory of Osprey F54.

Osprey F54: a long-distance traveler who makes it look easy

Osprey getting banded — F54 gets his band as a chick. (Photo by the Rush Lab)

Natasha was able to provide me with the who-what-where-when details I sought! Natasha and her technician, Sage Dale, with help from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and USDA personnel, banded Osprey F54 and his sister, F55, on June 20, 2022. Their nest was at Guntersville Lake (lat/long: 34.659337, – 85.944116) in Alabama, on a structure that acts as a navigational marker in Jones Bar, on Guntersville Reservoir. When banding took place blood was also drawn for research purposes, which also provided DNA-sexing: Osprey F54 was a male. On that same day, Natasha and Sage banded 30 Osprey chicks in the area!

Based upon measurements taken when banded, it was estimated that Osprey F54 was 36 days old at that time. Along with his color band, he was also outfitted with a U.S.G.S. band with the number 1218-10018.

Less than three months later, this Osprey was sighted here on Bonaire. This means that F54 had covered a distance of over 3,000 kilometers, or about 1,900 miles! It would take nearly seven hours in a plane to make that trip. We humans might consider it a long flight, yet this young Osprey made an equivalent trip and arrived in Bonaire looking healthy and fit after his long flight. Zero jet lag!

Only time will tell if Osprey F54 will join the ranks of the many human “snowbirds” who fly to Bonaire to spend the winter (I am talking about the tourists escaping the chilly weather up north, of course). Or, will Osprey F54 be a short-stay “stopover visitor” as tourism officials say, who visits for a week or two for some rest and relaxation, before moving onward? It’s his first migration, and perhaps he will decide he likes Bonaire. Like many other overwintering Ospreys, we are likely to see him back year after year. And he will find his favorite branch or perch, too.

Now all F54 needs is a name!

Bird banding tells a story

A group observes a bird banding demonstration. — The group observes a bird banding demonstration at a BirdsCaribbean workshop.

With the information I received from Dr. Rush and Natasha Murphy, I was able to report banded Osprey F54 to the Bird Banding Laboratory at the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center. Each reported sighting adds a data point to this individual’s history and will provide further insight as to his movements and migrations.

The world’s birds need us now more than ever. Recent studies have shown that an alarming number of birds have declining populations. Research projects, such as Natasha Murphy’s, provide insight and knowledge, allowing for better-managed conservation and preservation efforts.

Making the most of banded birds

How can we maximize the value of banded birds, and learn more from them?

A BirdsCaribbean group enjoying birds and photography in Viñales Valley, Cuba (photo by Lora Leschner).

Get photos if you possibly can. It really doesn’t matter if you are using a point-and-shoot camera, as I do, or if you have the fanciest camera that today’s technology can provide. The point is to document your observations with images. Sometimes we only get a brief glimpse of a bird, and we don’t have time to take in all the details, such as bands. Even if we identify the bands, we might not have the luxury of time with the bird to be able to read them. By taking images, you have a record and can review them for additional details you might not have discerned in the field.

I would also suggest that you become part of a birding network! Knowledge and information can only add to the enjoyment of your birding experiences. In the case of Osprey F54, I would never have been able to find out the bird’s history without my birding network. It added so much to the pleasure of seeing this splendid bird; it is now a unique individual to me. If you can find birders in your area with similar interests, you can discuss your observations. Learning from each other is so rewarding!

Susan has lived on Bonaire for 30 years, she is a graduate of the Caribbean Birding Trail Interpretive Guide Course run by BirdsCaribbean. Susan is a bird guide and a wildlife photographer. You can read more of her Bird Blog posts on her webpages here and get some useful photography tips here.

Find out more about the Caribbean Birding Trail On Bonaire and throughout the region!

If you spot a banded bird, 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. Scientists use this information to track bird populations and migrations. Report your sightings of to the USGS Bird Banding Lab which oversee all banding in the United States, and you can report sightings of color banded shorebirds to BandedBirds.org.

You can find out more about Ospreys as a migratory bird in the Caribbean on our ‘Migratory Bird of the Day’ page all about Osprey! This contains interesting facts, puzzles, videos and photos and more!

Birds Connect Our World – Day 24

October 2, 2022

James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund to Support Research on Caribbean Waterbirds

BirdsCaribbean is delighted to announce its very first endowed fund, the James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.

The Fund will provide support on an annual basis for biological, ecological and conservation research on waterbirds in the Caribbean region.

“This is a first for us, a tremendous donation for BirdsCaribbean, and a great opportunity to promote waterbird research in the region,” said Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean Lisa Sorenson, expressing her appreciation for the donation.

“We are very much looking forward to receiving proposals from the Caribbean and to awarding our first grant this fall. We will be announcing a call for proposals in the next couple of weeks.”

Through this generous donation by Dr. Kushlan, BirdsCaribbean will award a competitive grant every year to a deserving waterbird project, based on written proposals. Calls for proposals will advertise the size of the grant (~$4,000 to $4,500), which will provide funds up-front for a project and not require matching funds. Grants will be awarded to anyone (individuals or organizations) without restriction as to academic credentials or affiliation. Applicants from the Caribbean will be given consideration over other nationalities. Studies on rare, endemic, resident, and at risk species and studies leading to their conservation in the Caribbean will be prioritized.

Dr. James A. Kushlan is a distinguished ornithologist, writer, educator, and conservationist, with long ties to BirdsCaribbean and the region through his research on waterbirds and as a co-member of The Waterbird Council. Professionally, he has served as research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, professor of biology at the University of Misssissippi and Texas A&M, and wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service. He is the author of ten books and over 250 technical papers and articles.

Dr. Kushlan has served as president of the American Ornithologists’ Union (now American Ornithological Society) and Waterbird Society. He is the founder and past chair of Heron Conservation (the IUCN Heron Specialist Group), the North American Waterbird Conservation Initiative and Waterbird Conservation for the Americas, the Bahamas Environment Fund, and the Bird Conservation Alliance, and was a founding member of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and Wetlands International. Visitors to the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida, may explore the Kushlan Bird Walk, supported by the James A. Kushlan .

Tricoloured Heron with a fish — Waterbirds like this Tricolored Heron, photographed in Cuba, will benefit from research funding through our new Kushlan Fund. (Photograph by Aslam Ibrahim)

“The focus of my studies and conservation work in the Caribbean has been on waterbirds, including wading birds such as herons, storks, and ibises,” said Dr. Kushlan. “Many waterbird species are under threat due to habitat loss, climate change, and other factors. I hope that these funds will encourage Caribbean conservationists to conduct some ground-breaking research into these fascinating birds, which deserve greater attention.”

Further details on when and how to apply will be supplied in an announcement in early October.

September 26, 2022

Get Ready to Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day 2022- Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!

Laura Baboolal, the World Migratory Bird Day Caribbean Coordinator for Environment for the Americas (EFTA) encourages us to celebrate the amazing journeys of birds during World Migratory Bird Day 2022! Keep reading to find out how you can help migratory birds this year and where to find resources to help you celebrate.

It’s that time of year again—birds are on the move! Bird migration is a global phenomenon where individuals of many different species of birds will fly hundreds or thousands of kilometers south to spend the winter in warmer climates with abundant food. World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is officially celebrated on the second Saturday in October in the Caribbean. This year it’s on October 8th, but you can celebrate anytime in the fall that is convenient for you.

We encourage everyone to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2022, as you have celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with great success!

Light Pollution is Bad News for Birds

This year, the theme focuses on light pollution with the slogan, “DIM THE LIGHTS FOR BIRDS AT NIGHT!”

Light pollution is a growing threat to wildlife, especially migrating birds. It causes birds to become disorientated when they fly at night. Every year, light pollution contributes to the death of millions of birds. Artificial light can alter the migration patterns and foraging behaviours of birds. Attracted by artificial light at night migrating birds become confused and may end up circling in illuminated areas. This depletes their energy reserves and puts them at risk of exhaustion and predation. Lights at night also cause fatal collisions with buildings. With growing global human populations, artificial light is increasing by at least 2% annually. While in the Caribbean light pollution is not a significant issue compared to our continental neighbours we can still take action.

Take Action!

Every action you take counts and contributes to reducing the impact of light pollution on migratory birds. Take action at home, school, work, community or city! Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights at night or use a motion sensor light and shut curtains at night. Lobby for downward facing street lights in your community. Work with businesses and building owners to switch off unnecessary lights at night especially during migratory season. Consider advocating for no artificial lighting to be used close to important habitats for birds and at places that are on migratory pathways.

Raise awareness about the threat of light pollution to migratory birds and be an advocate for dark skies!

How to celebrate

World Migratory Bird Day can be celebrated any time of the year and there are many ways that you can do this. Why not visit an event? Hundreds of World Migratory Bird Day events and activities take place throughout the year. Check EFTA’s global event map to see what’s happening near you. Follow, like, and share! Follow EFTA’s pages for tips and facts about light pollution and migratory birds. Share these messages through social media and other outlets to increase awareness of this important issue. Use EFTA’s resources from coloring pages and stickers to posters and other educational materials and social media resources—to help you celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. You can download these here.

Information on migratory birds in the Caribbean, including coloring pages, activity sheets , photos, videos, and puzzles are available from BirdsCaribbean at this link. You, together with your local birding group, are also encouraged to go out and enjoy the birds. Most of all, have fun!

Contact the World Migratory Bird Day Caribbean Coordinator, Laura Baboolal at lbaboolal@environmentamericas.org to get involved!

For now, you can enjoy and share this animation following a small migratory songbird as it is lured into the dangers of the city by intense lights. The threats it faces are common for migrating birds trying to navigate urban environments.

This 2-minute animation has been produced and made available by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It can be used in any promotional activities related to World Migratory Bird Day 2022. All language versions of the animation can be downloaded via this download folder: https://bit.ly/3w68a0g

Check out ETFAs Social Media Packet for lots of digital resources. Click here.

Learn more about the featured species for 2022, art created by Omar Custodio Azabache from Peru. Click here.

Last, but not least, don’t forget to share your WMBD events and experiences on social media with EFTA and BirdsCaribbean. You can find us on all major platforms. Thanks for helping to raise awareness about migratory birds and the threats they face, and we hope you get outside to see some migrants this fall!

September 6, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Protecting the Snowy Plovers of Coche Island Through Science and Community

Migratory Bird of the Day: Lesser Yellowlegs

Color in the Lesser Yellowlegs

Listen to the calls of the Lesser Yellowlegs

Puzzles of the Day

Activity of the Day

You can FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LESSER YELLOWLEGS AND HUNTING IN THE CARIBBEAN IN THIS SHORT VIDEO

What inspired you to create a field guide to Birds of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba?

How is this field guide different from other Cuban bird guides?

Tell us about your team of authors—how did each contribute?

How much research did you need to do for this field guide?

What part of creating this field guide—writing, photographing, designing and editing—did you have the hardest time with or find most challenging?

What helped you to stay focused on such a large project?

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating this field guide?

Any fun stories to share during the process of writing, photographing, design, and editing?

How long did it take to complete the field guide?

How did you celebrate when the field guide was completed?

How many endemic birds live in the garden?

What is one of your fondest memories of birding in the Botanical Garden?

Where in Cuba can someone purchase this field guide?

How can someone outside of Cuba get their own copy?

Do you plan on providing an English translated version of this field guide?

What would you say to a birder who is thinking of publishing his own field guide?

Human activities are a threat to the landbirds—and then came the volcano…

How are the landbirds doing now? Enter the CLM Network!

Landbird Monitoring takes wing in the Lesser Antilles

Bountiful Birds at the Botanical Gardens

Practice makes perfect

Conquering wild terrain and rough weather to master PROALAS in the field

And the CLM Network grows

Behind-the-scenes

CEBF heads offline and into nature

Celebrations across the region!

Jamaica

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico

Antigua and Barbuda

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Grenada

Trinidad

Still the Best in the West (Indies)

Feathery facts and free resources for classrooms and homes

CEBF 2024 loading…

Click on the images to view and download newsletters in English, Spanish and French.

Photography Award Winners 2023

An additional 13 categories were awarded to photographers from almost every team and corner of the world.

ENJOY THIS GALLERY OF BIRD, PEOPLE AND SCENERY PHOTOS TAKEN ON GLOBAL BIG DAY BY VARIOUS TEAM MEMBERS IN THE CARIBBEAN, US, UK, PANAMA, AND MORE!

enjoy some more photos from the 2023 Diablotin expedition