Magnificent Frigatebirds at a nesting colony. (photo by Rhiannon Austin)
Do you study seabirds as a student, scientist, or independent researcher? Do you manage nesting islands or work in a seabird colony? Do you teach environmental education about seabirds or lead birdwatching groups? Are you a project director, a volunteer, a retiree active in seabird conservation? If so, we want to hear from you!
You can help BirdsCaribbean’s Seabirds Working Group (SWG) by letting us know who you are, what you do, where your activities take place, and/or how the SWG can help you. Just fill out our survey here! (Spanish and French versions are available below.)
Note: We recognize that most seabird work will likely be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we understand that your activities this year will be very different from any other year: when filling out the survey, just let us know what you would have done in a ‘normal’ year. Most importantly, we hope that everyone is safe.
Why seabirds?
Seabirds are among the most threatened groups of birds globally. The twenty-three species of seabirds that breed in the Caribbean and Bermuda are all under threat, with some having experienced dramatic declines in recent years. Many of these species have meta-populations, thus understanding their regional population trends and ecology is especially important. To conserve Caribbean seabirds efficiently, we must work together on multiple fronts to understand, promote, manage and protect this important group.
Save Our Seabirds Poster, produced by BirdsCaribbean. This poster is available in English and Spanish – let us know if you need copies for outreach and education on seabirds!
Why a Seabirds Working Group?
Since 1999, the BirdsCaribbean Seabirds Working Group (SWG) has been working to bring people who are studying and/or conserving seabirds together to promote seabird research and conservation. Its purpose is to:
Bring together those working on, and interested in, seabirds within the Caribbean
Provide a forum within which to share information amongst the community on (past, present and future) research, monitoring, and management activities in the Caribbean relevant to seabird conservation
Seek new avenues to extend seabird conservation activities within the Caribbean and support those already working towards achieving this goal!
During the last 20 years, we have seen a great increase in appreciation for the plight of Caribbean seabirds, and launched several research and conservation efforts. However, much remains to be done. Now more than ever, we need to keep working together for seabirds.
Group looking at seabirds on Catto Cay, San Salvador, Bahamas. These are participants in BirdsCaribbean’s International Seabird Training Workshop in June, 2011. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
What’s happening with the Seabirds WG?
After many years as co-chair of the group, Will Mackin took a step back and, in 2020, Yvan Satgé and Rhiannon Austin joined Ann Sutton as co-chairs of the group. Their interest and enthusiasm promise to revitalize the group.
How can the Seabirds WG serve you better?
In order to strengthen our joint seabird efforts, we must first bring the group more closely together. Therefore, we are reaching out to seabird professionals who are working in the Caribbean, to find out who you are, where you work, and how the SWG can help. Please fill in our online questionnaire. This will help us to help you in your work. Also, please feel free to share the questionnaire with your colleagues and encourage them to fill it out.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Blue-headed Quail-Dove
The Blue-headed Quail-Dove (Starnoenas cyanocephala) is the largest and most eye-catching of Cuba’s terrestrial doves. It has a cobalt blue crown, black eye line, white facial stripe, and black medallion on the throat and breast bordered by white. The sides of the throat have iridescent blue lines. The body is a cinnamon-brown color that blends in with dead leaves. This shy bird lives in dense forests where it walks constantly on the ground, often in pairs or small groups, searching for seeds, insects, snails, grubs, berries, and other fruits in the leaf litter.
Blue-headed Quail-Doves are endemic to Cuba. They were formerly common and widespread throughout Cuba but today are rare and classified as Endangered. They are now found in only a few forested areas, including Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Zapata Swamp, and in the Pinar del Río Province. The major threats to this species are hunting and habitat destruction. Although protected, the species is still illegally trapped for its good-tasting meat. Blue-headed Quail-Doves nest on the ground or in cavities and low bushes between the months of March and June, and lay two white eggs. Their flight is clumsy, and they produce a characteristic loud noise when they are frightened, very similar to that of the European Partridge (Perdix perdix). This is probably why Spanish colonizers gave it its local name, Perdiz, which is Spanish for Partridge.
The Blue-headed Quail-Dove’s call, a series of two similar notes, whoooo-up, whoooo-up, seems like a whisper in the forest. It should remind us that the forest is the quail-dove’s only habitat and we must protect it to continue enjoying these beautiful birds—considered a jewel of the Cuban avifuana. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Blue-headed Quail-Dove!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Blue-headed Quail-Dove
The Blue-headed Quail-Dove’s call is a series of two similar notes, whoooo-up, whoooo-up, with the last syllable rising in tone and then stopping short. During the breeding season, male may call from a low perch for long periods at virtually any time of day. You can also hear the chattering call of the Cuban Tody in this recording.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
The spectacular Blue-headed Quail-Dove is endemic to Cuba. Once common and widespread, it is now Endangered due to hunting and deforestation. It is now found in only a few areas in Cuba. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Enjoy this short video of a male Blue-headed Quail-Dove courting a female by following her and head-bobbing. Breeding pairs are socially monogamous and defend territories during the breeding season. The nest is built of loosely placed twigs lined with freshly fallen leaves, placed either on the ground or low to it in a stump cavity, the fork of a branch among the roots of trees, and sometimes among tangled vines.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Bahama Yellowthroat
The Bahama Yellowthroat is one of five endemic bird species found in The Bahamas. It was first discovered by Dr. Henry Bryant during an expedition to The Bahamas in 1865-1866. It is a relatively large warbler species in the Family Parulidae, about 5.5in (14cm) long. There are three subspecies and they can be found on the islands of Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera and Cat Island. There was a population on New Providence, but it is believed to be extirpated.
The Bahama Yellowthroat male has a striking black face mask that makes it look like a bandit. Its back, nape, and tail are olive green, contrasting with a bright yellow throat and belly. The bright yellow coloration may serve as an “honest” signal to potential mates, indicating a healthy mate. The female is duller colored with no face mask. Its song is a loud whichity-whichity-whichity similar to a Common Yellowthroat, but louder and richer. It also has a sharp chip note.They feed on arthropods and nest in low, scrubby vegetation.
The Bahama Yellowthroat is an attractive endemic Bahamian species but it is more often heard than seen due to its skulking behaviour. It can be distinguished from Common Yellowthroats, which are common and widespread winter visitors, by its greater size, longer and heavier bill, and more uniformly yellow underparts. They also live in different habitats—the Bahama Yellowthroat prefers wooded areas while the Common Yellowthroat lives in wetlands. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Bahama Yellowthroat!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Bahama Yellowthroat
The Bahama Yellowthroat’s song is remarkably similar to the Common Yellowthroat, calling loudly and clearly witchity-whitchity-witchity.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Bahama Yellowthroat (Photo by Keith Salveson)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Hone your observation skills and go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt! Print the cards on sturdy paper and use a clipboard or piece of cardboard as a writing surface outside. Younger children can do side 1 of the card, older children side 2. English, Spanish and French versions are available for free download here!
All living things have a habitat—a place that provides the food, water, cover, and space that they need to survive. Cover includes nesting areas, places to sleep or rest, places to hide or escape, and shelter. Space means a big enough area to hunt and feed, find nesting areas, and for some bird species, to migrate safely. If a place does not provide the right food, water, space, and cover in a suitable amount, a plant or animal cannot live there.
Talk about this with your kids and then go outside to investigate your habitat using the Habitat Scavenger Hunt cards. Instead of collecting the items on the list, this is an observation scavenger hunt. Have your child or children check off the items (with a pencil or pen), as they are located. When everyone has had a chance to look for the items listed, come back together to chat about where they were located. Were any difficult or impossible to find? Why do you think that was? For example, it might be impossible to find animal tracks when it is very dry, or certain animals depending on the time of year.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Puerto Rican Woodpecker
The Puerto Rican Woodpecker (Carpintero de Puerto Rico in Spanish) is one of the eight endemic bird species of the family Picidae in the Caribbean region, and one of the 17 endemic species of Puerto Rico. It is abundant and widely distributed in forest reserves throughout the island, but can also be found in woodlots, gardens, and parks in urban areas. The bright red throat and breast, contrasting with solid black upperparts and a white forehead, make this bird easy to identify. It is possible to tell the sexes apart because females have less red on their underparts than males.
The Puerto Rican Woodpecker is frequently found in pairs or groups of five or more birds, which are easily heard from a distance. Its common call is a series of wek-wek-wek or wicka-wicka-wicka notes, that get louder and faster.
Woodpeckers have a powerful bill that they use to probe insects (larvae and adults) from under the bark of trees, and to carve nest cavities in dead trunks or utility poles. Unlike many woodpeckers this is an omnivorous species, eating a wide variety of animals including insects, worms, spiders, and frogs. Fruits are eaten and fed to the young.
Old woodpecker nests can later be used by other nesting birds like Puerto Rican Flycatchers or Pearly-eyed Thrashers.For its beauty, gregarious habits, and wood-working skills this endemic species has been proposed as a national bird for Puerto Rico. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Puerto Rican Woodpecker!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photos below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Puerto Rican Woodpecker
While the Puerto Rican Woodpecker has a variety of calls, it most commonly says a fast and loud wek, wek, wek-wek-wek-wek-wek.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Puerto Rican Woodpecker (Photo by Alfredo Irizarry)Puerto Rican Woodpecker (Photo by Wilfred Marissen)
FOR ADULTS: Learn all about the endemic birds of Puerto Rico through a presentation by Adrianne Tossas, Ph.D. a Professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla, and Board member of BirdsCaribbean. You can view the presentation here for now in Spanish. We will be adding closed caption/ subtitles in English and posting to our YouTube channel as well. Thank you to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Puerto Rico for sharing this poster and co-hosting the webinar!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo
The Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo is true to its common name: it is found nowhere else in the world but the island of Hispaniola, its diet includes lizards (as well as many different insects), and it belongs to the Cuculidae family. On the Dominican side of the island, this cuckoo is known as Pájaro Bobo (“Silly Bird”), while on the Haitian side it goes by the name, Tako.
Cuckoos are always a delight to see while birdwatching because they are both fun to watch and listen to. They are a little like squirrels—despite their size (~100g and 45cm in length) they are able to swiftly hop, run, creep, and crawl through dense highways of understory branches—sometimes without making a sound. But when they do decide to make themselves known, their long and drawn-out rattling call will get your attention right away. You may not think at first that the rattling sound belongs to a bird, but rather an insect or frog!
Any birdwatcher will tell you that cuckoos are all about the tail—it’s downright impressive. Not only does it double the length of the bird, the pattern of white spots checkered over a black base is mesmerizing. The Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo’s striking tail pattern is complemented by a rufous belly and throat, offset by a smooth grey chest. Add in the long, dual-colored, hooked bill, and you’ve got yourself a very sleek looking bird.
Look for this cuckoo almost anywhere in Hispaniola, from the high mountain broadleaf forests down to suburban gardens. Once you catch sight of one, you’ll certainly want to get closer. While doing so you might be rewarded by this species’ inquisitive behavior, as it hops into a better position to look right back at you. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo
The call of the Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo is a throaty descending ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kau-kau-ko-ko.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo are always a delight to see while birdwatching because they are both fun to watch and listen to. (Photo by Guillermo Armenteros)
FOR ADULTS: There’s no question that birds have a special place in the hearts of Caribbean people. The intimate cultural connection between people and birds is reflected in the local names for birds that vary from island to island. They are celebrated in art and literature from the region as well, receiving praise from Bob Marley for “singin’ sweet songs,” and representing the Caribbean spirit in the poems of Derek Walcott.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Red-billed Streamertail
For a long time there has been much controversy about the taxonomy of Jamaica’s two endemic Streamertail hummingbirds, the Red-billed and the Black-billed; in other words, how closely related were they, and were they one species or two? These two similar hummingbirds were at first considered separate species, but were later lumped into one species: the Streamertail. More recent scientific evidence, however, has suggested that they are indeed two separate species after all—leading them to be split again! Thus, Jamaica hosts two species of this stunningly beautiful bird—the Red-billed Streamertail has a much wider range, covering most of the island, while the Black-Billed Streamertail is restricted to just a small area in the east.
Males of both species have two long, thin, fluted tail feathers that flow out behind them when they fly. Their bodies are iridescent, their emerald green breasts contrasting with their black heads with two little tufts at the back of their necks and dark wing feathers. The males of the two species differ, however, in the colours of their bills, their body size, and mating behaviour. The two species interbreed to some extent in the John Crow Mountains where their ranges overlap, providing a rare example of ‘within island speciation,’ where one species divides into two on a small island ecosystem.
Confusingly, the females of both species look very similar to each other but completely different from the males. Females have dark bills, white bellies, greenish backs—and no streamers.
Some people say that the males look like old-fashioned doctors, in their top hats and tailcoats, paying house calls to the flowers to give them injections with their long sharp bills. Perhaps this is why the local name is Doctor Bird. Or maybe it is because the original inhabitants of Jamaica, the Tainos, believed the birds had spiritual or healing powers. The world may never know how these birds got their name! Regardless, everyone agrees that they are vitally important, both ecologically and economically. This is because of the role they play in fertilizing flowers and fruits in the forests, gardens and orchards, from sea level to the mountain tops, as they fly from flower to flower, feeding on nectar and small insects. That is why they are Jamaica’s national bird. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Red-billed Streamertail!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photos below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Red-billed Streamertail
The call of the Red-billed Streamertail is sharp, high-pitched, metallic tseet, tseet, tseet, tseet. The wings of the male also produce a low-pitched whrrrrrr sound in flight.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
The Red-billed Streamertail is a common and widespread bird in Jamaica found wherever there are flowers, regardless of altitude. It’s range is western and central Jamaica. It is the national bird of Jamaica. (photo by Ann Sutton)The Black-billed Streamertail (close relative of the Red-billed Streamer) is found only in northeastern Jamaica. (Photo by Rey Millet)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Try your hand at writing some bird-themed poetry! Haiku is a form of poetry written in only three lines, each with their own set number of syllables. Windsparks is another form of poetry with 5 lines. Chose your favorite endemic bird, create a Haiku or Windsparks poem, and then post it to us on social media (Facebook or twitter) by tagging us @BirdsCaribbean and/or use hashtag #CEBFFromtheNest. Or, send your poem to us via email ([email protected]). We’d love to see what everyone comes up with!
Female Red-billed Streamertail – females of both Red-billed and Black-billed Streamertail look similar with a greenish back and head, white underparts, and no streamer. (photo by Paul Jones)
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Imperial Parrot
The Imperial Parrot is only found on the island of Dominica, where it is the national bird. It is the largest of the 32 species of Amazon parrots in the world. Locally, it’s called the Sisserou.
This stunning bird is Critically Endangered—it was estimated at 300-400 birds in 2017, having recovered from a low of 50-100 birds following Hurricane David in 1979. Category 5 Hurricane Maria smashed Dominica and badly damaged the bird’s forest habitat in September 2017. Once again parrot numbers were reduced, perhaps to a similar low as in 1979. The birds that remain persist in wet, high-mountain forests where they feed on fruits, seeds, and shoots. As the habitat recovers, we hope that the parrot population is again making a steady recovery. Major threats to this species include illegal poaching for the international caged-bird trade (more info here and here) and habitat loss from hurricanes and development (e.g, conversion to agriculture).
Male and female Imperial Parrots look the same. The head and underparts of this bird are dark and beautiful: the chest is an iridescent deep purple, the head is a shimmering mix of dark blues and greens, while the cheeks and forehead are purple/brown. These features are in stark contrast with the bird’s vivid green wings and back. The Imperial Parrot nests in tree cavities of old-growth rainforest trees and the female typically lays just one egg, every other year. It is critical to protect mountain forests so this bird has all the resources it needs for nesting and foraging.
BirdsCaribbean and Rare Species Conservatory Foundation are helping to fund conservation work by the Forestry Department in Dominica to survey the population after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, and restore the habitat of this rare and magnificent parrot. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Imperial Parrot eating the Native Rain Forest Palm locally referred to as Palmiste (Euterpe dominicana) after Hurricane Maria in September 2017. (photo by Stephen Durand)
Colour in the Imperial Parrot!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Imperial Parrot
The call of the Imperial Parrot is a trumpeting and metallic-sounding eeee-er that descends in pitch at the end. When it’s perched, it squawks, shrieks, and even whistles in a bubbly trill.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzles. You can make the puzzles 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!
Imperial Parrots live mainly in the Morne Diablotin area and Northern and Central Forest Reserves in Dominica (Photo by Paul Reillo)Imperial Parrots (Painting by Christopher Cox)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Complete our All about the Sisserou Crossword Puzzle! How many words do you know? Be sure to read about the Sisserou, our Endemic Bird of the Day, for clues to the puzzle. If you need help, also check out our Glossary for some definitions that will help you complete this puzzle. And here is a the Answer Key to the puzzle. (thanks to Stephen Durand, Dominica Forestry Dept. for help creating this puzzle!)
FOR ADULTS: Learn more about the Imperial Parrot—including threats to its survival and recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria in 2017 in these articles:
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Western Spindalis
The Western Spindalis is a colorful songbird that lives year-round in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Mexico. Males have a bold black and white striped head, burnt orange neck, breast and rump, a black or olive back, and black and white wings. Females are much less colourful—grayish olive above and whitish below. Both sexes have short, thick bills. Plumage color varies throughout its range (there are 5 subspecies).
The Western Spindalis feeds mainly on fruits and berries, but it will also eat other plant parts as well as snails. It can live in many different habitats where it is often found in the tree canopy. This species was formerly called the Stripe-headed Tanager with eight recognized subspecies that included birds in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Jamaica. Based on differences in coloration, vocal behavior, nesting, and size, ornithologists split the species into four Spindalis species in 2000. In addition to the Western Spindalis, we now have the Hispaniolan Spindalis, Puerto Rican Spindalis, and Jamaica Spindalis. They are all strikingly beautiful! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Western Spindalis!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Western Spindalis
The call of the Western Spindalis is a variable thin and high-pitched trill.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Western Spindalis (Photo by Susan Jacobson)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS & ADULTS: Test your Caribbean geography skills: Can you name all of the islands and island groups in the Caribbean? Here’s your chance to try! Fill out each of the names on the Caribbean Map from the Endemic Colouring Book and, if you can’t remember a few, use our Map Activity Key to refresh your memory and learn some new islands. You can colour in the drawings on these pages too!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Cuban Tody
The Cuban Tody (called Cartacuba or Pedorrera in Cuba) belongs to an endemic family from the Caribbean, the Todidae Family. The five species of this family are confined to the Greater Antilles—one species each in Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, and two species in Hispaniola. They are among the most remarkable and beautiful birds of these islands. The Cuban Tody (Todus multicolor) is the most colorful of all, and the only one with blue feathers on the sides of the neck. It is a small chubby bird with vivid green upperparts, red throat, mostly white underparts, and pink flanks. The bill is long and flat, red below and dark brown above.
Todies mainly eat insects. They feed by sitting on exposed perches from which they dart out to capture their prey, similar to flycatchers. During flight, a curious whirring rattle may be heard, a sound made with their wings. They are common in forests, woodlands and borders of rivers and streams in the Cuban mainland, Isle of Youth, and several north cays. Their small size and green coloration makes it difficult to see them when perched in vegetation. But they call frequently with a strong repeating chatter, and this makes it easier to find them. Todies have a voracious appetite and can eat almost 40% of their own weight in insects each day! In spring, they build a nest in a tunnel-like hole in banks on the sides of roads, mounds of earth, or natural cavities. The rate at which they feed their chicks is the highest of any recorded insectivorous bird. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Cuban Tody!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Cuban Tody
The call of the Cuban Tody is a strong, fast and sustained tot-tot-tot-tot tottottottottot tot-tot-tot-tot tottottottottot tot tot ppreeee.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Cuban Tody (Photo by Aslam Castellon)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Do you know what the different parts of a bird are called? Knowing them can help you to learn how to describe and identify birds, as well as colour them in. Learn the names for the parts of a bird by checking out the diagram in this page. Then test your knowledge by filling in the parts on this sheet.. You can colour in the drawings on these pages too!
FOR ADULTS: Take a virtual trip to Cuba and enjoy some of the birds, scenery and culture of this marvelous country with this short video on the Birds and Natural Life of Cuba. Thanks to Suzanne Abruzzo, participant in our January 2019 Cuba Bird Tour, for creating and sharing this wonderful video!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Ridgway’s Hawk
The Ridgway’s Hawk is found only on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the nations of Haiti and Dominican Republic. It is one of the most Critically Endangered raptors in the world, with fewer than 500 birds remaining. It hunts by maneuvering through the thick forest with the help of its broad wings and long tail, or by perching low to the ground in open areas scanning for prey. It feeds on snakes, as well as lizards and skinks, frogs and toads, small rodents, bats, and birds.
This hawk often builds its nest right on top of an active nest of the Palmchat, the national bird of the Dominican Republic. The hawks add larger twigs on top of the existing Palmchat nest, without causing any harm to the smaller birds nesting below. It’s like a two-story building for birds! The Ridgway’s Hawk is not shy around people and will even nest close to settlements and roads. However, nesting pairs are quick to defend their territory against humans or any other predator—they will vocalize loudly and chase off the intruders.
Since the late 19th century, the Ridgway’s Hawk population has been in steep decline. Much of their native habitat is disappearing through clear-cutting of forests and wildfires. Birds are also shot or chicks taken from the nest and killed as people fear these beautiful hawks will prey on their chickens. Fortunately conservationists at The Peregrine Fund, working in partnership with local communities, are making great progress in saving this species from extinction. BirdsCaribbean is supporting on-the-ground conservation work for this species through its Betty Petersen Conservation Fund. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Ridgway’s Hawk!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photos below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Ridgway’s Hawk
The Ridgway’s Hawk call, is a loud, shrill repeated wee-uh.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Adult Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo by Pedro Genaro)Immature Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo by Guillermo Armenteros)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Complete our Ridgway’s Hawk Word Scramble! How many words do you know? If you need help, check out our Glossary for some definitions that will help you figure out this word scramble. And here is a the Answer Key to the puzzle.
FOR ADULTS: Learn more about what is threatening the Ridgway’s Hawk survival and how conservationist Marta Curti and communities in the DR are working to save it, thanks to the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund and The Peregrine Fund. Donate here to support this project and save the hawk for future generations to enjoy!
Members of the community of Los Brazos create a home-made sign that reads “Welcome to Los Brazos. This community protects the Ridgway’s Hawk” to show their support of the conservation projectOur field crew in Los Limones organized the painting of a beautiful mural at the entrance to the community to highlight the importance of conserving Ridgway’s Hawk in the area (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Bridled Quail-Dove
The Bridled Quail-Dove is a mostly orange-brown dove with a white stripe below its eye. Its mournful who whooo call can usually be heard in May during peak breeding season. It is endemic to the West Indies and can be found in forested areas where it forages on the ground for seeds, fruits and the occasional gecko. They use their bill to toss aside leaf litter while searching for food.
It is exciting to see this species because they are quite shy and afraid of humans. If you’re lucky enough to see one, move slowly or stand very still and you may get a glimpse of its shimmering turquoise neck feathers. More often than not, the quail-dove will walk away rather than fly, allowing you a little time to admire its beauty.
The Bridled Quail-Dove is found in the Lesser Antilles, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Its natural habitats are tropical dry forests or moist lowland forests. It is considered uncommon or rare everywhere in its range and isolated populations are declining. Habitat loss from development and hurricanes threaten this species, as well as predation by cats and rats.
Unfortunately, not much is known about the quail-dove due to its secretive nature, but BirdsCaribbean is working with partners to try to learn more about its status on different islands and how we can help. If you want to help too, you can start by teaching others about this bird, as well as supporting conservation of forests in the Caribbean where it occurs.Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Bridled Quail-Dove!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photo below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Bridled Quail-Dove
The Bridled Quail-Dove call is a mournful who-whooo, on one pitch or descending towards the end, getting loudest in the middle of the second syllable, and then trailing off. Note that there is also a Zenaida Dove calling in this recording; it’s call is coo-oo, coo, coo, coo, the second syllable rising sharply.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Bridled Quail-Doves forage on the forest floor but they frequently perch on rocks or downed tree trunks to rest and preen. (Photo by Hannah Madden)Bridled Quail-dove (Geotrygon mystacea) in the Quill (photo by Hannah Madden)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Complete our All About Birds Crossword Puzzle! How many words do you know? If you need help, check out our Glossary for some definitions that will help you complete this puzzle. And here is a the Answer Key to the puzzle.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Bananaquit
Sugar Bird, Banana Bird, See-see Bird, Beeny Bird—these are all affectionate nicknames for our beloved Bananaquit. The Bananaquit is a small, friendly songbird found throughout the Caribbean (except mainland Cuba), and parts of Central and South America.
They are distinctive birds with down-curved bills, black upperparts, bright yellow belly, and a conspicuous white eyebrow. Their plumage color varies greatly across the Caribbean, however, with more than 41 recognized subspecies! Features such as the color of the throat (white, gray, or black), length of the bill, and amount of yellow on the belly vary. On Saint Vincent and Grenada, Bananaquits can even be entirely black!
Bananaquits are gregarious and are often found noisily foraging in large groups. Although they occur in nearly all habitats, they are especially common in gardens, parks, and other suburban areas where flowers are abundant. They are energetic birds, flitting from flower to flower in their search for nectar, their main diet. They also eat insects and insect larvae.
The Bananaquit’s nickname, Sugar Bird, comes from its fondness for bowls stocked with sugar, a common method of attracting these birds. Bananaquits can hang upside down to reach the nectar from flowers. And they sometimes “steal” nectar, piercing flowers from the side, to take the nectar without pollinating the plant. Despite this sneaky behavior, we all love this friendly songster; note that it is the logo bird for BirdsCaribbean! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Bananaquit!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photos below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFFromTheNest
Listen to the song of the Bananaquit
The bananaquit’s song is a rapid series of high-pitched, shrill, unmelodious squeaks which is heard most noisily while foraging in groups.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzles. 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!
The Bananaquit’s main diet is nectar. (Photo by Roger Zachary)Bananaquits feasting on bananas. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Many birds can be recognized by their size, the way they stand or fly, or the shape of their body. Depending on the light, sometimes all you can see is the outlined shape of a bird – this is called a silhouette. Try our bird identification quiz! Try to notice any clues about these silhouettes that may help you figure out what type of bird they are, simply based on their shape! FOR ADULTS: Why are there so many different subspecies of Bananaquits throughout the Caribbean? And how did they become “superstars”? Learn more about this fascinating bird in this fun article published in ZiNG magazine, LIAT Airline’s in-flight magazine. (Birdscaribbean contributes articles on birds and nature to each issue). Download the PDF.
HAPPY EARTH DAY! On this 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and during these incredibly difficult days, we are thinking of all of our friends around the world and hope everyone is safe and healthy. Earth Day is a great time to reflect on how important the natural world is to all of us and the simple actions that we can all take to reduce our impacts. And while we are home-bound, we can learn to better know and appreciate the birds and nature in our own backyards.
To say that the times are challenging is an understatement. We are confused and fearful at times. Avoiding contact with others outside of our household is an unusual and difficult transition; we are social beings by nature. It is important that we find ways to adapt to this situation, so we protect our mental health, while preserving our physical health.
The most important piece of advice that can be given at this point, is to stay active. Although we may not be able to leave the confines of our yards, we cannot allow ourselves to sink into a state where all is gloom and doom. Apart from catching up on, or picking up new, hobbies such as reading, cooking, or learning a language, one of the easiest and quickest ways to lower stress and anxiety levels is to immerse yourself in nature. The natural world has not stopped. Whether COVID-19 is with us or not, taking the time to observe our surroundings does much to improve our health and well-being.
The majestic Broad-winged Hawk can often be seen atop street posts or on tree branches carefully surveying the ground beneath (Photo by Nick Hollands)
The Home Observatory
Many of us are “on lockdown” these days. Whether our home is a high-rise apartment in the city, a house with a garden, or a townhouse complex, we are spending almost all our time indoors. We are not encouraging anyone to break “stay home” orders designed for your own health and safety; but there are many simple ways you can be close to nature without any harmful side effects. Right from your window, patio, or back steps, you can observe the birds that pass by. You will likely start to see “new” birds! Sometimes these may be common residents, that you may have never observed properly before. It is almost as if you are seeing them for the first time.
Now is a great time to look for migrants that have started their journeys northward from the Caribbean. Look for warblers such as the lively American Redstart, the Black-and-White Warbler, or the attractive Prairie Warbler. Which migratory birds are still with us, and which ones are arriving? Make a note of the dates when you see a warbler for the first time, or a summer migrant, or a more unusual visitor that might just be passing through. It is a time of change in the bird world.
A Prairie Warbler male in striking breeding plumage. Prairie Warblers winter in the Caribbean and also pass through on migration. (Photo by Mark Tegges)
While some species are embarking on great journeys, other resident and endemic birds are settling down in yards and gardens across the region. It is springtime and that means the start of the breeding season for many. You may see a Bananaquit collecting nesting material in your yard. You can watch the amusing antics of the Loggerhead Kingbird darting for food for its young ones.
The handsome Loggerhead Kingbird is a common and widespread resident of pine forests in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the Cayman Islands. (Photo by Sergey Uryadnikov)
Some birds, such as Jamaica’s White-chinned Thrush, sing melodiously during the breeding season. Like the Red-legged Thrush, it is a common visitor at gardens and can be seen hopping along country roads looking for insects, lizards, and frogs to eat. And now, at dusk, you may hear the rasping call of the Antillean Nighthawk, chasing flying insects.
The Red-legged Thrush is found in the northern Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, and Dominica. It is a common and year-round resident and visitor to gardens and yards. It hops along the ground looking for insects, fruits and small invertebrates to eat. (Photo by Dax Roman)
Bringing the Birds to You
So, what can we do to bring birds closer to us? We would suggest that you maintain your feeders and if you have the space in your yard, put up a bird bath or spray to attract birds to your yard. The birds will come to you, happily bathing. As the weather is beginning to heat up, birds get thirsty too, so you will find them sipping water.
Or what about the raptors? There are still quite a number around, including the intimidating Broad-winged or Red-tailed Hawks, that boldly announce their arrival with a loud scream. Or even the fearless American Kestrels. How about the majestic, commanding presence of one of our larger visiting raptors, the Osprey? Nature has not stood still; it is alive and vibrant all around us.
Ospreys are one of the many species of birds that you may be able to see as you observe nature from the safety of your home (Photo by Natalya Lawrence)
Now you have time. Lots of it. So, why not spend it setting up an eBird account? (If you are in the Caribbean, use eBird Caribbean). You can start logging your counts on a daily basis and contribute to the global knowledge base on birds. Become a citizen scientist! You may enjoy wearing this new hat while on lock-down, and beyond. Do not forget to also keep a good bird guide at hand, or consult with a phone app, like Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin Bird ID App.
Yards Are Good for You…and the Birds Too!
There is another activity that you might also enjoy, whatever the size of your yard. And you and the birds will benefit! Gardening is a popular, but an often time-consuming pastime that you may find you now do have some time for! The plants that suffered months of neglect due to our busy schedules can now become the pride of our eyes as we nurture them with attentive care. Having trees and small plants around the house has many benefits: Gardening is therapeutic and a healthy occupation; flowering plants offer nectar to birds and bees; trees and plants provide shade and vegetation around our homes; and trees lining our streets can lower temperatures by a few degrees. Many plants attract birds (and butterflies) also! For more information and ideas on what can work, explore our free, downloadable eBook on Native Trees and Plants for Birds and People in the Caribbean. For the less adventurous, how about trying your hand at an herb collection that can thrive in small pots? Basil and French Thyme grow easily in tropical climates.
For the industrious, try your hand at composting! With a bit of extra time on our hands, it is much easier to separate your waste. Do not forget to separate plastics for recycling and to refrain from dumping organic matter. Compost it and use it to fertilize your garden.
Finding Balance…With Nature
You see, being at home is not that bad at all. Just sit down, plan out a list of actions, and if you have children in the house, get them involved. I will never forget the first time my son picked a sweet pepper from the tree he nurtured himself! He watched over that plant from seed in the dirt to picking that pepper, and the look of pride as he picked it, and watched it being incorporated into our meals is unforgettable.
While our daily routines are disrupted, the birds happily continue with theirs. We can learn more about them and enjoy their day-to-day behavior. Who knows, they may help us to achieve that mental and emotional balance that we are seeking these days.
While we wait out this pandemic in the safety of our homes, it is important that we keep ourselves busy, focused, and grounded. Most importantly, let’s be responsible and be safe!
Earth Day, April 22nd, is also the start of our one month Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). Join us as we celebrate the CEBF with our virtual “From the Nest” edition! The theme is Birds and Culture. We are sharing an Endemic Bird of the Day, colouring pages, online bird puzzles, webinars, and links to fun, free activities and resources to do with your kids. Follow us on social media (@BirdsCaribbean) and check our website every day for new stuff. We look forward to sharing with you about our beautiful endemic birds! #CEBFFromtheNest
Thanks so much to Natalya Lawrence, Emma Lewis, and Nathan Wilson for this inspiring essay.
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Antillean Crested Hummingbird
The Antillean Crested Hummingbird is a small iridescent green hummingbird with a short, straight bill. It is easy to identify as it is one of the few hummingbirds with a tall spiky mohawk, that is, crest. The male is brightly colored while the female is more plain and lacks a crest. This hummingbird is a year-round resident throughout the Lesser Antilles (as well as the Virgin Islands and parts of Puerto Rico).
The Antillean Crested Hummingbird can be spotted in open vegetation like parks, plantations, and the borders of forests. It’s a wonderful visitor to backyard gardens. It spends its day visiting flowers to drink nectar. It also eats small insects and spiders. It breeds year-round but mainly from January to August. The nest is a tiny cup of cotton or fine fibers with lichens coating the outside and firmly bound together with spider webs (see photo below). Hummingbirds have to eat all day because it takes a lot of energy to keep their wings flapping so fast (up to 80 beats per second!). Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Antillean Crested Hummingbird!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photos below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the Antillean Crested Hummingbird
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzles. You can make the puzzles 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!
Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Photo by Matt Elliott)Antillean Crested Hummingbird on nest (Photo by Howard Nelson)
FOR ADULTS: On this Earth Day, 50th Anniversary celebration, learn about key native plants that are beneficial to native and migratory birds with our eBook: Heritage Plants: Native Trees and Plants for Birds and People in the Caribbean. The plants highlighted in this book are perfect for backyard gardens, neighborhood landscaping, and other habitat restoration projects big and small. Browse the book, get inspired, and find new plants to grow in your backyard! Check with your local Forestry Department as they may have some of these plants available at no cost. Available in both English and Spanish!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us in our virtual “From the Nest” edition! Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: West Indian Whistling-Duck
The West Indian Whistling-Duck (WIWD) is a tall, graceful, mostly brown duck with a beautiful haunting call. It is endemic to the West Indies and can be found in different wetland habitats, like salt ponds, mangroves, marshes, swamps, rice fields, and palm savannas. It is always a thrill to see this species because they often remain hidden during the day, roosting in mangrove trees or other vegetation. They become active at sunset when they fly around to different wetlands to feed.
This duck was once common, but populations are now very small and isolated on each island. Destruction of wetland habitats, illegal hunting, and invasive predators (like mongoose) have all contributed to the decline of this species. The gorgeous WIWD is the flagship species for wetlands conservation and education efforts by BirdsCaribbean and partners. You can help save this species by reporting illegal hunting, teaching others about this bird, and supporting conservation of mangroves, ponds and marshes on your island. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the West Indian Whistling-Duck!
Download the page from Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book. Use the drawing above or photos below 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 coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the WIWD
The call of the WIWD is a shrilly whistled Chiriria, which is the origin of one of its Spanish names.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image 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!
Close-up of the beautiful West Indian Whistling-Duck (photo by Ray Robles)Two West Indian Whistling-Ducks having a rainwater drink in Antigua (photo by Nick Hollands)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS! Learn about what makes a bird a bird, and play Bird Spy Bingo in your backyard. Parents – some great activities for your kids to help them enjoy and learn about nature in your own backyard. Do one or all of the activities described in this lesson. Print the Bird Spy Bingo game and play with the whole family!
BirdsCaribbean is excited to be hosting a fundraiser that focuses on the energy, excitement, and comradery that’s associated with Global Big Day!
Global Big Day is an annual event in which birders, often in teams, travel around an area trying to observe as many bird species as they can in a 24-hr period of time. Global Big Day is happening on May 9th this year!
Because of safety concerns with COVID-19, Global Big Day will have a different feel to it this year. Many of us will be birding individually, and from a safe place*.
In an effort to keep the event exciting, and give us all an opportunity to celebrate safe birding, BirdsCaribbean has created a fundraiser that brings us all “together” on virtual teams that can engage in friendly competition to (1) raise the most funds, and (2) collectively see the most species of birds on Global Big Day.
Once on a team, help personalize your team page with fun photos and your own lingo, and then invite family, friends, colleagues, or members of your birding community to join your team and/or donate to your team.
By inviting people to your team, you are (1) raising awareness for BirdsCaribbean and the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, (2) encouraging more fundraising to keep the Journal going, and (3) promoting Global Big Day and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.
and/or . . .
Simply making a donation to one of the birding and fundraising teams.
By doing so, you will have (1) helped support the Journal, and (2) encouraged that team to bird as hard as they can on Global Big Day.
and/or . . .
Committing to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 9), 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.
This will be a fun event to fundraise for and get excited about! Be ready to set yourself up in a safe place* and go birdwatching for as much of the day as possible, knowing that all of your teammates, friends, and BirdsCaribbean community members are doing the same!
Everyone should plan to submit their observations to eBird (or 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
We are living in unprecedented times. The important role that science is playing in understanding COVID-19 and finding solutions is more clear than ever. What science does to inform and improve public health, it also does for conservation of wildlife and nature.
BirdsCaribbean’s mission is to conserve birds and habitats throughout the Caribbean islands. This depends in large part on science—investigating causes of species decline that can then inform management and conservation actions.
To share that science, our community of researchers depends on theJournal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO). This in-house, peer-reviewed publication has served our community for 32 years and counting. But the JCO needs help to keep its publications free and open-access to the world. Explore the JCO here.
HOW YOUR GIFT WILL BE USED
This fundraiser will benefit the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology.
We are proud of our Journal and want to keep it free and open access to everyone. To do this, we need help fundraising to cover the Journal’s modest operating costs.
JCO has recently experienced remarkable growth, including adding many new and talented staff members, creating a highly efficient workflow, building a new website, completing fully-accessible Archives dating back to Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1988, and so much more.
JCO is an invaluable resource to thousands of Caribbean students, researchers, and conservationists, providing an unparalleled body of ornithological knowledge for the Caribbean region through its free, fully searchable website. This is why we are asking for your help in fundraising for JCO.
No matter what, we hope everyone will participate. You can bird by yourself, create a team or join a team, and then fundraise! Or you can simply make a donation, investing in science to help Caribbean birds. No gift is too large or too small.
As with everything in the Caribbean we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do this together. We know we can count on you to help!
ABOUT GLOBAL BIG DAY
Global Big Day is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Last year, people in more than 175 countries participated, setting a record for the most birds seen in one day all over the globe. Learn more here about this important citizen scientist initiative.
PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO:
(1) the team that raises the most funds
(2) the team with the most creative name and stylish fundraising page
(3) the team that sees the most bird species on Global Big Day
(4) the team that sees the most endemic species on Global Big Day
(5) the team with the best “find” of the day (unusual, rare, plumage aberration, etc.)
(6) the team with the best bird photo of the day (must be posted on eBird along with your list)
There will also be “Hidden Prizes”; the categories for these will be announced just prior to Global Big Day AND throughout the day on Global Big Day.
SAFETY
*Given the safety concerns the COVID-19 virus presents for doing Global Big Day counts, we recommend that you bird in your backyard. If it is safe to go out on May 9th be sure to choose birding locations that (1) comply with your municipality’s COVID-19 safety guidelines (i.e. social distancing and travel guidelines), and (2) comply with your personal safety preferences. And so whether you we will be birding at a local park, within your own backyards, or from your bedroom windows, we will all be enjoying the opportunity to distract ourselves with some safe, fun birdwatching. Additionally, we will all be birdwatching “together” for a great cause that unites us!
Thanks in advance for participating and supporting our fundraiser, however you can! We hope to see lots of teams forming throughout the Caribbean, US, Canada and beyond! We will keep you updated with more news and details about our Global Big Day, such as how to keep a count of your birds and enter your data on line – stay tuned!
Soaring above the tree tops of Los Haitises National Park is the mighty Ridgway’s Hawk. Conflicts with humans and changes in its forest habitat have made it hard for this species to survive. Marta Curti gives us an update on the exciting work of The Peregrine Fund to save this Critically Endangered raptor.
Since 2000, when we began our project to conserve the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic (DR), we began to hire and train local crew members to help carry out the field work. In 2011, we increased our recruitment and training efforts greatly. One of our main goals is to make the project sustainable in the long-term, which means giving locals the opportunity and the means to support their families while working directly for conservation.
We currently have over 20 Dominicans employed on our project. Most were born and raised in the very communities where we work, right in the heart of Ridgway’s Hawk territory. These residents range in age from late teens to over 60. They are trained in nest searching, monitoring, data collection, data entry, tree climbing, banding, treating nests to prevent nest fly infestations, and environmental education techniques. They spend long hours in the field, hiking over rough terrain, sometimes in oppressive heat and humidity or torrential downpours, to monitor and protect the hawks. While we are always so grateful for the work they do, this year, more than ever, their commitment to this project has proved invaluable.
Members of the community of Los Brazos create a home-made sign that reads “Welcome to Los Brazos. This community protects the Ridgway’s Hawk” to show their support of the conservation project
Communities Take Up the Reins During COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Thomas Hayes (Ridgway’s Hawk Project Director) and Marta Curti (Ridgway’s Hawk Project Environmental Education Specialist), will not be able to travel to the DR for the next several months, if not longer. If this were a “normal” year, we would both be planning a trip now, as the next few months are critical to our project’s success. Ridgway’s Hawk breeding season is in full swing and it is important to continue monitoring, banding, and treating nests. Thanks to our local crew, this work is being accomplished without a hitch!
At our first reintroduction site, the Punta Cana Resort and Club, our team is monitoring 17 pairs. Six of these pairs have hatched 13 young so far this year, while 9 have eggs waiting to hatch! This is an incredible achievement, considering that Ridgway’s Hawks hadn’t been documented in this area since the 1970s and breeding pairs didn’t start to form there until 2013! Though our environmental education efforts have been postponed in order to maintain social distancing, we were still able to reach 1,594 individuals at the beginning of the year. Our crew in Los Limones had a beautiful mural painted at the entrance to the town.
Our field crew in Los Limones organized the painting of a beautiful mural at the entrance to the community to highlight the importance of conserving Ridgway’s Hawk in the area (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Los Brazos: An Eco-Friendly Release Site for Ridgway’s Hawks
While our seasoned crews are doing an amazing job in Punta Cana and Los Haitises National Park, we are particularly grateful for the newest additions to our team – our crew from the town of Los Brazos, located within the Aniana Vargas National Park in Dominican Republic. The small town of approximately 100 people relies heavily on the production of shade-grown certified organic cacao. Young and old, men and women, work daily to harvest, dry, process, and sell the crop.
The town itself consists of one dirt road with houses scattered on either side. In and around the town are cacao plantations interspersed with tall trees, wildflowers and wildlife. To maintain the organic certification, they must heed certain rules: no use of pesticides, no killing of wildlife, no cutting of forests. This, and the fact that this area was designated as Aniana Vargas National Park in 2009, was the main reason we chose this area as the newest site for Ridgway’s Hawk releases. Though every area has its unique challenges when it comes to releasing birds of prey, we knew we would be ahead by leaps and bounds releasing birds here. Thanks to support from the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, we were able to release 25 young hawks in this area in 2019.
Peregrine Fund seasonal biologist, Sete Gañan, leads a jewelry-making workshop in the community of Los Brazos, the site of our newest release site for Ridgeway’s Hawk (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Exciting News to Report
Though we had planned to release another group of hawks this coming field season, we have decided to postpone this year’s releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, thanks to our local crew, we have some amazing news to report. Our team has documented a pair of hawks building a nest in the area. This is the first pair formed from the previous year’s cohort of released birds, and a huge step in developing an additional hawk population in this region.
A nestling Ridgway’s Hawk is in good hands with our local biologists (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
While there is so much uncertainty in the world at this time, it is an opportunity to focus on the things we are grateful for. I, for one, deeply appreciate the work of our amazing team and their unending dedication to protect this hawk. And I am grateful to the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund and BirdsCaribbean for continuing to support our work.
By Marta Curti, The Peregrine Fund. Marta began working as a field biologist with The Peregrine Fund (TPF) in 2000 when she worked as a hack site attendant on the Aplomado Falcon project in southern Texas. She has since worked as a biologist and environmental educator on several TPF projects from California Condors in Arizona to Harpy Eagles and Orange-breasted Falcons in Belize and Panama. She has been working with the Ridgway’s Hawk Project since 2011. This project is funded in part by BirdsCaribbean’s Betty Petersen Conservation Fund. Please donate to help this save the Ridgeway’s Hawk!
Our local field crew tracking reintroduced hawks using radio telemetry. Each young hawk was fitted with a transmitter – paid through support from the Betty Petersen Fund – so we could monitor them after release. This is a key part of the program as it helps us keep track of the young birds during the first critical weeks after release (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
A Ridgway’s Hawk nest with young (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
A local team member climbs a Ridgway’s Hawk nest tree in order to band nestlings before they fledge. Banding young is an important part of our project as it helps us monitor dispersion patterns and survivability of young hawks through band re-sightings (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Our local field crews participate in First Aid training to help keep them safe in the field. This is just one of several training programs we provide (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Peregrine Fund seasonal biologist, Julio Gañan, trains one of our local volunteers, Fredelina Espino Campo, in tree climbing techniques (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Peregrine Fund seasonal biologist, Sete Gañan, observes released Ridgway’s Hawks along with a young community member from Los Brazos. Everyone in the community showed a great interest in the project, and we had visitors both young and old almost every day during the releases (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Lisa Sorenson wearing our BirdsCaribbean buff as a face mask. The long stretchy tubular fabric has been folded back on itself twice to form a triple layer.
We’ve got you covered! The CDC and local governments recommend wearing a face mask when you go out, and even cloth/ home-made masks are helpful. Our BirdsCaribbean and Caribbean Birding Trail multi-purpose “buffs” work well for this.
We have two patterns available for sale: BirdsCaribbean logo and Caribbean Birding Trail logo (see photo to the right and in the gallery below). Get one of each so that you can wear on alternate days and wash them.
Many of our members have long worn our “buffs”—stylish tubular bandannas which can be worn in multiple ways. They are great as neck warmers, head bands, hair bands, caps, for mosquito protection in the field, and now as face masks.
If you would like to purchase one or more of our buffs, please use the links below. Apologies, but we are only able to ship to U.S. addresses right now. Limit of 6 per order.
Wear your buff and tag us! @BirdsCaribbean #BirdsCaribbeanStrong #HumansofBirdsCaribbean
Your purchase helps support our bird conservation programs – thanks!
To Use as a Face Mask:
Turn the buff inside out, then fold back it back either once or twice so that you have a double or triple layer of fabric for your mask. You are now ready to face the world with a comfortable and stylish mask! Stay safe!!!
Our buffs are made by the company Hoo-rag. The fabric is soft and stretchy. They have a UPF30 sun protection rating and are made of 100% moisture-wicking polyester microfiber. They come in individual packages.
Approx. 19” x 8.5”.
One size fits most. Machine wash cold. Line dry.
We are thinking of all of our friends and hoping everyone is healthy and staying safe. We are sending love, strength and positivity. We will get through this – together.
Sharpen your pencils and prepare your paints, everyone!
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) is just around the corner. This year, much of it will be celebrated virtually, as we continue to experience unusual challenges at this time. Nevertheless, BirdsCaribbean has a special surprise for young (and not so young!) bird enthusiasts: a beautiful 64-page Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book.
Back and Front Covers of the Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book
“We will be shipping out boxes, free of charge, to our partners to use in their education programs on birds and nature — and of course for their Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) celebrations,” noted Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “Due to the current difficult situation, we realize that the usual exciting CEBF events will not be possible and distribution of the colouring books will be delayed. In the meantime, we will share some pages online with everyone as part of our celebration of CEBF at home.”
With delicate, detailed wildlife drawings by naturalist, educator, and illustrator Christine Elder, and informative text by writer Mark Yokoyama, the book offers children of all ages the opportunity to learn interesting facts while learning the techniques of colouring the birds’ vibrant plumage.
Barbuda Warbler and Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo Colouring Pages
The Colouring Book includes 50 endemic birds, with a focus on the most vulnerable, widespread, and colorful species. The front cover has an extra page that folds in and provides a Colouring Key to all 50 birds. There are also colouring tips, and background information on endemic birds, the threats they face, and how kids can help. At the end of the book there are Activity pages and a Glossary.
Colouring Tips and Colouring Key
BirdsCaribbean is working on preparing the Spanish version of the colouring book — it should be ready within a few weeks’ time. The French version will follow soon after that.
“Kids are often amazed to learn that there are birds and other animals that live only on their island,” commented our writer, Mark. “These birds, and this book, can help them discover how special their home is.”
Artist Christine Elder said, “It was an honor to work with BirdsCaribbean to illustrate these beautiful endemic birds. I’m confident that this book will serve as a valuable tool for conservation and I look forward to seeing the children’s drawings.”
“BirdsCaribbean wishes to thank the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and BirdsCaribbean members for their tremendous support for this project,” said Lisa Sorenson. “This Colouring Book has been a dream of ours for quite a long time. It was delayed by pressing issues, such as our urgent work on hurricane relief the past several years. We are so proud of the final product. We hope our partners and the public they serve will enjoy using it as a fun educational tool, and we look forward to receiving feedback.”
Help us get these books to children across the islands!
We are short on funds to ship this book to 25+ Caribbean countries as well as funding to print the Spanish and French versions. If you would like to help, please click here. No donation is too small!!
How to obtain copies of Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book
If you are an educator working for an NGO or government in the Caribbean and would like to receive one or more boxes of the coloring book, please fill out this form. To save on shipping costs, we are aiming to limit the number of shipments per country. We ask for help with distribution by a local institution to NGOs and governmental ministries for use at bird and nature education events.
You can download the colouring book for free on our Resources page.
If you would like to purchase a copy of the coloring book (US$7.99 + shipping), we anticipate that we will be able to ship you the book by the end of April. At this time, we can easily sell only to customers in the U.S. or Canada, and in small quantities (e.g., 6 or less). (Customers in other countries, or in need of large quantities, should contact Lisa Sorenson).
You can purchase up to 6 copies of the book via PayPal using the menus below (PayPal will add the shipping). If you prefer to purchase via check, please make the check out to BirdsCaribbean and mail to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760. On your check, indicate the total number of books you would like and calculate the total cost for the books plus shipping by referring to the chart below.
There is a $1 discount for paid-up (2020) BirdsCaribbean members; if you wish to join BirdsCaribbean, click here. If you need to renew your membership, click here. If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact our Membership Manager, Delores Kellman).
Are you staying home right now? Sit back, relax and enjoy this vivid account of a trip around four islands, an adventure in search of the Amazona parrots. Ryan Chenery, the Barbados-based CEO of Birding the Islands will take you there. Ryan’s company is a proud partner of BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) and shares our philosophy of directly involving and benefiting local communities. Birding the Islands tours often using CBT-trained local guides—not only contribute to conservation efforts across the islands but also to support locally owned businesses. These tours are multi-faceted, but…“We always come back to the birds!” says Ryan.
St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
Birding the Islands and BirdsCaribbean February 2020 trip to: St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Trinidad
Day 1: St. Lucia, Airports and Aupicon
We exit the plane at the vibrant Hewanorra International Airport and get straight into some productive airport birding. We easily spot the endemic subspecies of Carib Grackle and seemingly ever-present (yet fascinatingly split) near endemic subspecies of Bananaquit, flitting from one heavily laden calabash tree to another. A juvenile Merlin perched high atop a swaying Australian Pine is a surprising and welcome addition to our fledgling Lesser Antillean list. What a great start!
As we make for our first birding hotspot of the trip, the spectacular scenery of St. Lucia leaps out at us. This is a breathtakingly beautiful island – the perfect blend of towering forest-covered mountains and pristine white sand beaches lined by sparkling turquoise seas. It is no wonder that, centuries before, the French and British fought fiercely and passionately for the right to fly their flag atop its highest peak.
St. Lucia Parrot (Amazona versicolor) (Photo by Birding the Islands client John Dyson)
We plan our arrival at the sprawling Aupicon Wetlands to coincide with the return to their roosts of several species of heron and egret. After our vehicle winds its way through a corridor of towering Coconut Palms (their produce once the primary export crop of this lush tropical island), we catch our first sighting of migratory Blue-winged Teal and resident Common Gallinule – the brilliant blue wing coverts of the former and radiant red frontal shields of the latter gleaming in the last of the sun’s rays. Adding to the spectacle, large flocks of Snowy as well as Cattle Egrets now begin a near continuous approach to favoured roosting sites in the middle of the wetlands. The darting bills and dancing legs of Tricolored and Little Blue Herons contrast nicely with the bobbing of Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots (white-shielded Caribbean subspecies). A lone Osprey returning from the sea with a freshly caught fish is the cue for us to head to our accommodation for dinner.
Day 2: Endemic Overload!
The morning begins at our peaceful Inn, tucked away in quiet Mon Repos, where we enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast (yes, more freshly picked pineapple is on its way Nick!) on the sweeping veranda overlooking the densely forested hillsides and glittering waters of Praslin Bay.
Mon Repos is ideally located in the vicinity of some of the last remaining Dry Atlantic Forest on the island, and we start the morning’s birding by entering this wilted, scrubby landscape… only to be treated to absolutely cracking views of an inquisitive Mangrove Cuckoo. This seemingly impoverished habitat also yields our first three endemic sightings of the trip. A charming pair of St.Lucia Black Finch forages amongst the leaf litter, their pink legs dancing amongst the crisp brown leaves. With every step closer the gleaming black of the male provides an ever more diagnostic contrast to the soft cinnamon brown of his mate. We also see a stunningly patterned St. Lucia Oriole; and a brilliant adult St. Lucia Warbler, its subtle patterns fully visible in the neutral morning light.
The strikingly patterned St. Lucia Oriole (Icterus laudabilis) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
We continue northwest over the dominant mountainous spine of the island and down to the scenic west coast, gliding through the sleepy towns of Laborie and Choizeul. There is a striking difference between the rich fertile soils found here in the shadow of the cavernous Mt. Soufriere and the parched earth of our last birding site. While living beneath a volcano is not without its risks, the rewards can also be great – as evidenced by the wealth of produce in the form of yams, dasheen, sweet pototato, plantains and much more being sold here at small roadside stalls. The unparalleled fertility of this region also attracts large numbers of indigenous birds, drawn to the wondrous variety of fruiting citrus trees. We soon find ourselves surrounded by a host of other new and exciting regional specialties.
First to appear however is a curious and hitherto unknown species—“the rare St. Lucia Bum Bird”! Or at least that is what we call the odd rufous-feathered buttock sticking out of a large ripe grapefruit at the side of the trail. It is not until the head of the owner of said buttock emerges from the depths of the fruit cavity, that we are able to accurately identify it as a Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. No sooner had our group exchanged smiles and taken photos than a flurry of wings announced the arrival of a splendid Gray Trembler! As is so often the case with this fascinating near endemic (known only to the tiny islands of St. Lucia and Martinique), upon landing the bird immediately begins to convulse its entire body in a violent trembling motion – hence its name. The brief display over, the trembler proceeds to sink its impressive bill into the fleshy centre of the grapefruit, from which the bullfinch had been so unceremoniously usurped!
Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis) about to dig in! (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
“Beak plunging” appears to be the order of the day. An obliging Lesser Antillean Saltator is the next to start tucking into a meal. This time, the weapon of choice is a gargantuan cone-shaped beak, and the victim—the soft flesh of the golden orbed breadfruit.
Lesser Antillean Saltator (Saltator albicollis) (Photo by John MacLennan)
The birding, already going well, suddenly and unexpectedly gets even better as out of the valley below a pair of St. Lucia Parrots wing their way up towards us and perch not 30 feet away. Perfect light and unimpaired views allow for an absolutely enthralling encounter with this large and stunningly patterned parrot—the first in our Search for the Amazonas!
We round off a terrific morning’s birding with a delicious buffet lunch of creole chicken, steamed mahi mahi, fried plantain, and yam pie… all washed down with freshly squeezed lemonade and enjoyed on the balcony of The Beacon—the restaurant with an unrivaled view of the magnificent twin-peaks of Les Pitons.
Back at our locally owned accommodation some of the group enjoy a relaxing late afternoon swim in the pool before dining on yet more delights prepared by the Paris-trained chef. Tonight’s specialty: lobster bisque, flank steak (or Creole mahi mahi) and crème caramel.
Not a bad place to return to and relax after a great day’s birding!
Day 3: A Breezy Farewell
Today sees us make for the pride of St. Lucia – the splendid Des Cartiers Rainforest. Upon arrival, we enjoy our pre-packed breakfasts before starting our way along the well-maintained trail. Here we are immediately transported into another world – one dominated by towering emergents, prehistoric tree ferns and dangling lianas.
When in St.Lucia, Birding the Islands works alongside local guide and BirdsCaribbean partner, Vision, who is a superb “birtanist” (birder and botanist rolled into one) and as we walk, Vision pauses to point out the many fascinating native tree species all around us (and explain their myriad uses). These make for fascinating topics of conversation between birding hotspots.By far the most dominant tree here is the mighty Lansan. It is known only to four Lesser Antillean islands. Its aromatic resin is a key ingredient of the slow-burning incense still used widely in St. Lucia homes to ward off evil spirits.
Our first bird experience in Des Cartiers is certainly one of the most memorable: a St. Lucia Parrot poked its head out of a nest cavity some 50 feet above us. But this ancient forest is to have many more surprises in store before we leave. At an observation area with breathtaking views of the riverine valley below, we enjoy incredibly close views of the Antillean Euphonia daintily hopping amongst strands of mistletoe. A pair of Lesser Antillean Flycatchers interrupt proceedings with a low fly-by. Other arrivals during our time at this site include a fabulous Green-throated Carib effortlessly gleaning insects from the underside of a leaf, a positively delicate St.Lucia Pewee seemingly freeze-framed on a looping vine, and an overly inquisitive Pearly-eyed Thrasher.
The delightful St. Lucia Pewee (Contopus latirostris) (Photo by Jane Hartline)
After a lunch enjoyed on the white sand shores of Cocodan, our final birding stop of the day is the towering peak of Moule a Chique, where we brave the blustery winds to look down upon Red-billed Tropicbirds hurtling beneath us – their brilliant pure white plumage contrasting perfectly with the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
Later that evening after a pre-dinner cocktail, we settle in to dine on Kingfish (delivered earlier from the traditional fishing village of Dennery, where the previous day we had the opportunity to witness an intense bartering culture in action). Experiencing the culture of the islands as well as supporting local communities, while illustrating the correlation between us visiting birders and the economic prosperity of many local businesses and citizens is extremely important for Birding the Islands Ltd and our partner BirdsCaribbean. We adopt this approach on every island we visit.
Hold onto your hats!!! Our group high atop Moule a Chique (pictured from Left to Right: the Bajan Birder-Ryan Chenery, Mark Greenfield, Valerie Brown, Ken Kuehn, Jane Hartline, John MacLennan, Bonnie Sample, St. Lucia Guide-Vision James, Jane Fenton, Nick Gibbons and Liz Tymour).
Day 4: Dominica, A Day of Close Encounters
The large boulders dotted throughout this islands’ lush landscape point to a violent volcanic past. However, as our vehicle makes its way around long winding corners and upwards along the coast, the sight of sparse tree canopies and fallen forest giants are glaring reminders of the after effects of a far more recent natural disaster (Hurricane Maria in 2017). This leaves us with a deep appreciation of the hardships endured by the inhabitants of this wild and stunningly beautiful land.
Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Mark Greenfield)
Arriving at our cliff-side hotel, we enjoy a hearty lunch of line-caught tuna, steamed plantain, and veggie rice, enjoyed throughout in the company of a Red-legged Thrush and an absolutely brilliant Purple-throated Carib—its dazzling throat glinting in the sun as it feeds.
This Purple-throated Carib (Eulampis jugularis) provided constant entertainment at meals (Photo by Birding the Islands client Mark Greenfield)
Later in the afternoon, a sudden downpour restricts any extensive foray into the sprawling Syndicate Estate. But before the rain falls, we are treated to what surely must be one of the closest ever encounters with a Red-necked Parrot (Jaco) in the wild! Having entered the Estate in the presence of Dr. Birdy (Bertrand Baptiste) himself—the most experienced bird guide on the island and long-time BirdsCaribbean partner, we soon find ourselves surrounded by the gleeful calls of several Jaco in the fruiting trees around us. However, one particularly close cry draws us towards a heavily laden guava tree. In the heart of the sparsely leafed tree one of these brightly coloured Amazonas delicately plucks a swollen guava from the tree with its beak, and flies to a low cecropia perfectly positioned over our path. Following an excited period of hastily focusing scopes and training binoculars on the bird, we soon realize that the parrot is so distracted by its food that we can slowly approach—until we are standing a mere 15 feet beneath it! A full half an hour elapses with us caught up in this magical moment with this beautiful bird. Finally, its meal finished, it flies off towards a more secluded area.
What an experience!
Tonight we soak up the tropical ambiance at a candlelit dinner in the outdoor restaurant of our hotel—the sounds of the rolling waves beating against the black volcanic shores below.
Day 5: To the Seas!
After a mid-morning arrival at the bustling port of Roseau, we board our vessel and jet across the waters off the southwest of the island, in search of the giants that call Dominica’s deep oceanic trenches home. A whale-watching trip can be rewarding for pelagics, but in addition to the usual suspects of Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Booby and Laughing Gulls, this trip surprisingly only reveals a Sooty Tern and a Red-footed Booby as new species for the trip. The whales however are far more cooperative. We do not have to wait more than twenty minutes before the captain bellows “BREEEECH”! He knows these waters well, and skillfully guides us towards a pod of mighty Sperm Whales in such a manner that the next surfacing is far closer than the last. We are so close we can even listen via hydrophone to the popcorn popping sounds emanating from the giants as they hone in on prey below us!
From the bow of the boat we are afforded superb views as some of majestic behemoths rest near the surface, before resuming their feeding. Sadly the excitement of the encounter apparently proves too much for the engine of our craft, resulting in an earlier than planned end to our whale-watching adventure.
Maintaining our maritime theme of the day, we enjoy sumptuous fish tacos for lunch (what on Earth is in that sauce?) before settling in to a quiet final night at our beach-side hotel on Dominica. The spectacular Brown Pelicans in the height of breeding plumage settle in to roost in nearby trees.
A stunning sunset seen from our hotel room balconies on our last night in Dominica (Photo by Bajan Birder)
Day 6: A Day of Wonder
On our final day in Dominica we wake at dawn to travel into the montane forest for which this island is so renowned. As the skies clear, the birds begin to steadily appear. The methodical notes of Black-whiskered Vireo, a startlingly pugnacious Antillean-crested Hummingbird, and an inquisitive andscratchy-throated Plumbeous Warbler all provide us with excellent views. An obliging male Blue-headed Hummingbird steals the show by feeding at a flowering ginger growing conveniently close to our trail.
The fluid musical notes of a House Wren (Antillean) later lead us to a copse of flowering coffee, and an audience with this endemic subspecies. Increasing research on these islands is leading to many new species splits and the identification of a plethora of endemic subspecies throughout these closely neighbouring islands. That this wren (and many other subspecies in the Lesser Antilles) may well attain full species status in years to come is very possible indeed.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
The awesome power and force of the hurricane season of two years ago has transformed this forest. A large number of trees have been either felled or their canopies have been blown off. This has resulted in a huge increase in the amount of sunlight reaching the forest floor, which has in turn provided young saplings with the impetus needed in their never ending quest for the heavens. Out of devastation comes new life, and here in this magical setting, new life is all around us. Right on cue, Liz spots a young Red-rumped Agouti scurrying out of a path in front of the group.
Back at the hotel we enjoy our now customary three-course meal before setting off for the airport. An afternoon flight to St. Vincent awaits!
Bonnie and Jane enjoying a chat before heading to the next island on our itinerary – St. Vincent (Photo by Jane Hartline)
Day 7: St. Vincent, The Perfect Send-off
Serenaded by the calls of Yellow-bellied Elaenia and the gentle cooing of Scaly-naped Pigeons, we enjoy breakfast in the spacious open-air dining room of our beachfront hotel, located on the south west coast of spectacular St. Vincent. As we chat and await our meals, we briefly lower our cups of freshly brewed Vincentian to watch a school of flying fish—scales glistening in the early morning sunshine—leaping from the vast expanse of Caribbean Sea. Their gliding attracts the attention of a large number of Brown Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds, who immediately alter their flight course in pursuit. The boobies begin shallow exploratory dives, while the frigatebirds attempt to snatch the gliding fish from mid-air. A closer inspection with binoculars also reveals a boiling sea below the birds—perhaps an indication that this feeding frenzy was started by large predatory Dolphin or Crevalle targeting the flying fish from below.
What a start to the day.
Ahh—here come the omelettes!
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) having just caught a fish (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
After breakfast, the wonderful and knowledgeable Lystra Culzac (Caribbean Birding Trail certified guide) arrives to guide us to the birding hotspots on the island (the best of which requires her having negotiated with landowners for access to private land). We journey along the wave-ravaged Atlantic coastline, through the coastal settlement of Georgetown, with her black sand beaches and wind lashed rooftops and onward north to the volcanic slopes of towering Mt. Soufriere.
Its entrance guarded by brilliantly sapphire-headed St. Vincent Anoles, the well-maintained Soufriere Trail is lined with two species of endemic begonia. The raging Atlantic is clearly visible to the east, and expansive montane forest lines the volcanic slopes to the west. This is a forest in which the weird and wonderful come alive before your eyes. First, we spot the unique dark morph of Coereba flaveola attrata (endemic subspecies of Bananaquit) and St. Vincent Tanagers gorging themselves high in a fruiting fig. The eerily ethereal call of the Rufous-throated Solitaire, deep low notes of Ruddy Quail Dove and positively hyperactive vocalisations of Scaly-breasted Thrashers and Brown Tremblers (an entire genus restricted to the Lesser Antilles) all lead us deep within this ancient primary forest.
Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
However the star of the show is so far remaining elusive…and quiet.
The song of the Whistling Warbler can travel for miles. We reach a now dry river bed, which for millennia slowly carved its way through the dark volcanic bedrock beneath our feet – and we hear THE CALL.
Cautious spisshing lures the tiny vocalist ever closer, until in a flash there he is—flitting ever so briefly out of the dense undergrowth, before once again retiring to a dark tangle of mistletoe and epiphyte-laden trunks. This is a Critically Endangered species and we are fortunate to have had even a glimpse.
Some treasures are meant to remain secret.
St. Vincent is a largely quiet and laid back island. We pass several rural communities tucked into the pocketed hillsides of a mountainous interior, on our way to the largest remaining roost of St. Vincent Parrotson the planet.
The tracks leading up to this secret location are narrow and heavily potholed, so we abandon our van and climb aboard a 4wd SUV—the only vehicle capable of making this ascent.
Crossing streams home where Green-throated Caribs bathe, lined with a multitude of tropical butterflies, we soon arrive at a quiet small holding perfectly framed by a scenic ridge.
As we arrive at the summit of the ridge, that quintessential call of parrots the world over begins to echo out of the east.
They are coming…
The birds first arrive in pairs (their constant calls seeming to reassure their respective life partners of their presence in the now steadily fading light), but slowly their numbers build, to the point where dozens of this once critically endangered parrot are winging their way over our heads.
A pair of St. Vincent Amazons (Amazona guildingii) winging their way in to roost (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
The thrill of being directly beneath them is exhilarating. However, we are only able to get a clear view of the truly spectacular deep blues and vibrant greens and oranges of their flight feathers when the parrots begin to tack hard and low down towards their favoured roosting trees, against a backdrop of the lush, verdant, forested valley below. These are stunningly beautiful birds. As they settle in to land, there are audible gasps of delight from our group.
We spend a full hour in the presence of St. Vincent’s national bird, enjoying every rhythmic twist and turn of their approach. This is one of the undoubted highlights of the trip.
A celebratory Dinner that night is a selection of creole fish dishes, washed down by the local Hairoun beer!
Day 8: Trinidad, The Spectacle
Masked Cardinal (Paroaria nigrogenis) in Caroni Swamp (photo by Mark Greenfield)
Several of us wake early to enjoy another dip in the calm waters typical of this Caribbean coastline. Then we settle into a delicious breakfast of pancakes and french toast, or for those of us feeling adventurous—salt fish buljol with all the local fixins!
The short 15-minute drive to the airport is filled with fond reminiscing of the variety of unique Lesser Antillean species seen… but we also talk about the many South American wonders that await.
We touch down in Sweet Sweet T&T (as the popular soca song so fondly refers to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and are met by beaming Lester Nanan (our terrific local guide and grandson of the renowned conservationist Winston Nanan). We board a large comfortable bus and as we have arrived at midday, it is not long before a cooler is produced and we begin tucking into pre-ordered(and gigantic) chicken rotis (done the traditional Trinidad way—bone and all) as well as veggie rotis brimming with large chunks of mango, papaya, eggplant and more.
Trinidad is such a contrast to the small quiet islands of the Lesser Antilles that we have spent the last week travelling between. The area around the airport especially has the feel of a large metropolis. But (delicious rotis in hand) we are soon leaving all this behind and making for one of the treasures of the Caribbean—the Caroni Swamp.
En route we stop to bird productive grasslands, sheltering such vibrant secrets as Red-breasted Blackbird and Saffron Finch. We visit sheltered ponds and canals home to a plethora of water—loving species—from blazingly neon-crowned Yellow-hooded Blackbirds and nesting White-headed Marsh Tyrants to Southern Lapwing and Pied Water Tyrants.
The birding is thick and fast, but as 3pm arrives, we gather back at the bus in fervent anticipation of our next destination.
There are several wetlands in the Western Hemisphere that get birders’ hearts racing, and the Caroni Swamp is one of them. This sprawling 12,000-acre wetland is home to one of the greatest spectacles in the animal kingdom—the return to roost every evening of over 3,000 Scarlet Ibis!
Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba) perched directly above us (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
Although this is the main event, the warm up acts are none too shabby, as evidenced by the pair of roosting Tropical Screech Owls, their intricately patterned breast feathers perfectly mirroring the marbled bark of the White Mangroves in which they roost. We have good views of the superb stock-still Boat-billed Herons from our flat-bottomed boat, as it negotiates its way through the mangroves.
Cruising through the mangroves in our comfortable flat-bottomed boat
As we edge deeper into the swamp, the long tendril-like roots of Red Mangroves seem to reach ever further into the water, providing prime perching positions for an unbelievable array of species. The roots are festooned with oysters, barnacles and home to a plethora of Mangrove Crabs…and occasionally Mangrove Boa. A magnificently coiffured Masked Cardinal and dainty Bicolored Conebill, along with both Green and Pygmy Kingfishers, all give us cause to pause and admire. We are even treated to a vociferous exchange between warring factions of Grey-necked Wood Rails!
After almost an hour of delightful travel we approach the famous roost site, a welcome low tide ensuring an added bonus encounter with 30 American Flamingos.
As we tether the boat, and start to share out the locally brewed rum punch and freshly baked pastries, wave upon wave of 50, 100, 200 ibis at a time begin continuously streaking by. Before long the dark green of the mangrove island upon which they roost is unrecognisable. It has been transformed into a rhythmic and convulsing mass of colour. The brilliant reds of the breeding adults contrast perfectly with the soft subtle pinks of non-breeders—all set against the wondrous backdrop of Trinidad’s stunning Northern Range.
An unforgettable experience.
Scarlet Ibises (Eudocimus ruber) coming in to roost (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
Later that evening we arrive at the world-renowned Asa Wright lodge where a delicious buffet dinner awaits us. We duly indulge, before strolling to our cottages located in the heart of the densely forested Arima Valley.
Day 9: Dawning of the Light
At daybreak we make our way to the veranda of the main lodge where, coffee in hand (locally harvested from trees on the Asa Wright estate), we settle in and prepare for what is surely one of the most incredible birding experiences in the region.
Below us, the waking sun is proving the catalyst for the inhabitants of this vast rainforest to begin to stir. The sprightly melody of a Cocoa Thrush, the rapid-fire staccato of a White-flanked Antwren and cat-like call of the Spectacled Thrush, mixed in with the somewhat demonic laughter of the Barred Antshrike combine and build to a feverish crescendo.
Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) (Photo by Biridng the Islands client Beatrice Henricot)
As more light steadily filters down through the canopy, the last of the nocturnal brigade (in the form of Pallas’s Long Tongued Bats) begin to surrender their positions at the feeders to a veritable onslaught of colour.
A sudden white flit across the feeders—the breast of a White-chested Emerald; a sprinkle of neon pink – the stunning crown of a male Ruby Topaz; brilliant orange ear tufts and a gently bobbing tail diagnostic of the bedazzling Tufted Coquette.
The dazzling Ruby Topaz (Chrysolampis mosquitus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Beatrice Henricot)
And still they come.
There are the dazzling rich blues and emerald greens of Blue-chinned Sapphires and glistening Copper-rumped Hummingbirds—so close you can see the minuscule fluffy white garters on their legs.Purple as well as Green Honeycreepers, White-bearded Manakins, and Violaceous Euphonias all join the fray. In the distance, away from this hive of activity, a pair of Green-backed Trogons are taking turns to diligently and carefully excavate a cavity in a termite nest affixed to a gargantuan trunk. A dozen feet below them, a lone Golden Olive Woodpecker silently begins its measured investigation of the same tree.
With all of this birding brilliance, we almost miss breakfast…almost.
The entire day is ours to walk the myriad trails coursing through the private forests of Asa Wright, and after breakfast we begin by heading down Jacaranda Trail for an encounter with Oilbirds. Isolated from the rest of the bird world in a family of their own, living in caves and using echolocation to negotiate their nocturnal feeding forays, this is easily one of the strangest birds we connect with on the trip. The cave at Asa Wright is one of the most accessible sites to see them in the world and we are rewarded with sensational views! On our way back, and after passing under a spectacular Bee Orchid, we soon enter the realm of the Bearded Bellbird—its otherworldly metallic call boldly proclaiming this land to be his. Once we have tracked the call down to a favoured perch, the bird is brilliantly visible, its superb wattled neck flickering in the shafts of sunlight with every resounding CLANK of its call.
Bearded Bellbird (Procnias averano) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Steven Kornfeld)
After this excitement we retire in the heat of the day to the veranda, where we continue to watch the birding entertainment on show. Some of us round off the afternoon with a dip in the cool fresh water pools found throughout the Centre grounds.
After dinner, our night walk provides a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the nocturnal residents of these forests. Huge Trinidad Chevron Tarantulas cling to bamboo stalks; minuscule but “swerve-worthy” scorpions, velvet worms and land crabs line the banks of the roadside; and bats flutter almost constantly overhead.
Day 10: Desserts and Delightful Birding
The Asa Wright Centre grounds are superb, but to get a true sense of the variety of inhabitants of the highest peaks in the Northern Range, one must take to the Blanchisseuse Road. We do so on our final full day in Trinidad.
Birding is slow and steady at first, with initial stops revealing sightings of Tropical Parula and a magnificent pair of Collared Trogons. Later the ground appears alive with army ants, allowing for a close (but not too close) examination of the intricate relationship that Cocoa and Plain Brown Woodcreepers as well as Great Antshrikes have with these tiny marauders of the forest floor.
Great Antshrike (Taraba major) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
We enjoy lunch at a local chocolatier’s farm, where the proprietor explains that his return to the land and harvesting of cacao has had a positive effect on many local communities in and around Arima, with an upturn in financial independence. The birding is good here too, for Rufous-breasted Hermit, Turquoise Tanagers, a Lineated Woodpecker, and hordes of Yellow-rumped Caciques all appear as we are wrapping up our chicken pelau and treating ourselves to a dessert of his delicious chocolates!
Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana) (photo by Mark Greenfield)
At our final stop, the scale of diversity and sheer beauty of the birds of the Northern Range is truly revealed. Rufous-tailed Jacamars swoop from favoured perches to pluck swallowtail butterflies effortlessly from the air. A pair of Scaled Pigeons select the highest possible perch and turn purposefully to catch the last of the afternoon light on their brilliantly chevroned breasts. A young Forest Elaenia pleads with her parent, which ever so delicately plucks and then proffers a berry to its offspring to take a bite. Later a flock of seven spectacular Blue-headed Parrots silently wing their way in to a nearby cecropia and are joined at the canopy by a stunning Channel-billed Toucan. We cap off our frenetic and highly rewarding birding of the highlands with a young Yellow-headed Caracara flying directly over our bus. A pair of Tropical Kingbirds is hot in pursuit.
Day 11: A Ferruginous Farewell
On our final day of the trip, and after our now customary morning visit to the veranda, we take a leisurely stroll along the driveway that winds its way into the Asa Wright Centre. The forest that has yielded so many of its treasures to us has one more surprise in store: a superb sighting of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, which staunchly resists the urge to flee from incessant harassment by a large mixed flock of tanagers and flycatchers.
Life in the rainforest is never dull…for any of us!
At the airport, before boarding our flight, we pay a visit to the best Doubles hut on the island and positively chow down on these uniquely Trinidadian delicacies. There’s no way we were going to come to Trinidad and not have Doubles. The fusion of chickpeas, sweet tamarind sauce, pickled cucumber and hot sauce lights up the taste buds, and is a perfect send off to our tour—a tour which has given us a true flavour for the spectacular birding that the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad has to offer.
Thanks to our Caribbean Birding Trail partner, Ryan Chenery and his company Birding the Islands, for this positively wonderful and enticing trip report! To learn how you can join Ryan and BirdsCaribbean on our next In Search of the Amazonas tour (Nov. 21st to Dec. 1st, 2021) please contact Ryan at [email protected]. To learn more about the Caribbean Birding Trail, birding sites, tours, and guides throughout the islands, click here.
An absolutely stunning look at Oilbirds, one of the strangest birds we connected with on our February 2020 trip. Isolated from the rest of the bird world in a family of their own, Oilbirds live in caves and use echolocation to negotiate their nocturnal feeding forays. The cave at Asa Wright is one of the most accessible sites to see this species in the world and we were rewarded with sensational views!
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. Here, Josmar describes his most recent Snowy Plover monitoring season and some exciting firsts for shorebird monitoring in Venezuela. (More photo and Español debajo)
In Venezuela, thanks to the support of the BirdsCaribbean David S. Lee Fund, AveZona and the ARA MACAO Scientific Foundation have carried out population surveys of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris) on Coche Island. A large number of the birds have been recorded in the “Salina de San Pedro de Coche.” This has lead to an appreciation and increased value of the island as this species is threatened in the Caribbean region.
A newly marked Snowy Plover. (Photo by Antonio Ros)
Our project formally began in 2019, and since then we have conducted monitoring visits monthly to the San Pedro de Coche salt pans. Before we stepped foot in the field, the first step was to receive permission from the Ministry of Ecosocialism (MINEC) for the relevant permits to be able to move forward with the project. Thankfully, we were successful.
During our monitoring visits, we record the following information: number and location of Snowy Plovers, their age (adults or juvenile), sex, and any reproductive activity. In addition to monitoring, we also have indivudally marked some of the birds. Our team marked the first Snowy Plover in Venezuela in September 2019. It may seem like a small feat but it represents a lot of work! The birds are marked with black flags and white codes (right leg) and metal rings (left leg). Marking the plovers will help us better understand the behavior of each individual and to determine their site fidelity. In addition, we can learn if there is any migratory movement across the Caribbean for our local population of Snowy Plovers. To date, we have tagged seven individuals.
In February and March, 2019, we were fortunate to count Snowy Plover nests and chicks in the San Pedro salina. Joining us for this activity were students from the local community at Napoleón Narváez Bolivarian High School. It was rewarding to share information about these precious birds with young people and they were amazed to learn that the salina is so important to the Snowy Plover and other bird species (for example, Least Terns also nest there).
How many plovers are there?
A young Snowy Plover chick and egg on the beach of Coche Island. (Photo by Antonio Ros)
Currently, we are partnering with with Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez from the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, United States. Together, we are working on the detectability and abundance of the Snowy Plover in eastern Venezuela. The preliminary analyses are using samples from the non-reproductive season, from counts made at 12 points in the San Pedro de Coche salina.
We modeled the relationship between detection probability and air temperature, time of the day, and distance to salt. We included covariates for the number of feral dogs, horses and salt miners when modeling abundance. Detection probability was negatively affected by the distance to salt piles (0.49, 95% CI=0.49-0.5). Abundance was not associated with the presence or abundance of domestic animals nor salt mining activities. We estimated there were 96 (95% CI: 46-201) and 116 (95% CI=61-220) Snowy Plovers in February and December, respectively. We hope to present this information in more detail at the next NAOC and subsequently we plan to publish our results in a scientific journal.
Our group participated in the 22nd International BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe in July 2019 and in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting in October 2019 in Panama. We were so excited to present the latest results from our research and the ways in which we involve the community in our projects.
A community effort
Our partnership with the community has continued beyond school field trips. Recently, we created a unique bird-inspired mural in the school of “La Uva” community which, of course, included depictions of the Snowy Plover and the Least Tern. It is truly a beautiful work!
The new mural featuring Snowy Plovers and Least Terns. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
One of the reasons for working in this region is to promote the integration of communities that have historically been marginalized from science and conservation. In search of improving this situation, we are carrying out activities within this project that integrate and dignify the local community, and also give recognition to the worldview of the inhabitants of the biological diversity of their island.
Josmar and students in the field observing Snowy Plovers. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Since the beginning of this project, we understood that in order to protect the salina and other places on the island, it is necessary to work hand in hand with the locals. We are very grateful for the school district of Coche Island, which has allowed us to work with educational institutions. Also, we are especially fond of the Napoleon Narváez Lyceum High School 9th Grade class, and teachers from various educational institutions for their receptivity and commitment. There are many locals that have opened their doors and hearts to this project and our team: Antonio Ros, Daniel Serva, Oscar Riera, Jose Gonzalez, Jesus Escalona, JC Fernández Ordoñez.
Many obstacles can arise when executing a project of this magnitude in Venezuela, but thanks to the constant support of BirdsCaribbean (including the David S. Lee Fund for Conservation) we are achieving our objectives. It’s very important to carry out this project that will help us to better understand the population of the Snowy Plover in the islands of the Venezuelan Caribbean. For me, it is a beautiful, very peculiar bird with very interesting habits. Luckily, in Venezuela it still can be observed very frequently in some places. Being able to say that there is a reproductive colony on Coche Island, and that it remains to this day, is a light of hope in the face of the global ecological crisis.
Please enjoy these short videos showing our work with the community from our Ave Zona Facebook page!
Josmar marquez, de AveZona, ha liderado proyectos de monitoreo de aves en Isla Coche, Venezuela, desde el 2018. Además de la colecta de datos, Su trabajo consiste en asesorar a jóvenes conservacionistas y la promoción de cambios conductuales ambientalmente amigables en la comunidad local de la isla. Aquí, Josmar describe su más reciente temporada de monitoreo del Chorlito Nevado.
Una pareja de chorlitos / A pair of plovers. (Photo by Antonio Ros)
En Venezuela gracias al apoyo de la beca David Lee, de BirdsCaribean, AveZona y la Fundación Científica ARA MACAO realizan el proyecto de evaluación poblacional del Chorlito Nevado (Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris) en la isla de Coche. En “Salina de San Pedro de Coche” se ha registrado un alto número de aves, lo que ha llevado a un aumento en la apreciación del valor de la isla para la especie, que se encuentra amenazada en la región del Caribe.
El proyecto comenzó formalmente en 2019, y se están realizado salidas mensuales a la salina de San Pedro de Coche. Antes de dirigirnos al área, el primer paso fue recibir el permiso del Ministerio de Ecosocialismo (MINEC) para el estudio de campo. Afortunadamente, tuvimos éxito.
Durante las visitas de monitoreo, anotamos la siguiente información: cantidad de individuos y localidad, edad (adultos o juveniles), sexo, y actividad reproductiva del Chorlito Nevado. Además del monitoreo, también hemos marcado algunos individuos. Nuestro equipo marcó el primer Chorlito Nevado de Venezuela en septiembre de 2019. ¡Toda una hazaña! Se usaron banderas negras con códigos blancos (pata derecha) y anillos metálicos (pata izquierda). Marcar los individuos nos ayudará a entender mejor su comportamiento y determinar su fidelidad al sitio. Además, podríamos llegar a saber si existe algún movimiento migratorio entre esta población y el resto del Caribe. Hasta la fecha se han logrado marcar 7 ejemplares de Chorlito Nevado.
Durante los meses de Febrero y Marzo de 2019 logramos contar nidos y pichones de Failecito en la Salina de San Pedro. A esta actividad asistieron jóvenes del Liceo Bolivariano Napoleón Narváez. Fue muy gratificante compartir información sobre estas preciosas aves con los jóvenes y se sorprendieron al saber que la salina es tan importante para el Chorlito Nevado y otras especies de aves (por ejemplo, el Charrán Menor también anida allí).
¿Cuántos Chorlito Nevados Hay?
Marcando uno de los siete chorlitos/ Marking one of the seven plovers. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Actualmente, nos estamos asociando con Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez del Departamento de Vida Silvestre, Pesca y Acuicultura de la Universidad Estatal de Mississippi, Estados Unidos. Juntos, estamos trabajando en la detectabilidad y abundancia del chorlito nevado en el este de Venezuela. Los análisis preliminares están utilizando muestras de la temporada no reproductiva, de conteos realizados en 12 puntos en la salina de San Pedro de Coche.
Modelamos la relación entre la probabilidad de detección y la temperatura del aire, tiempo del día y la distancia a las pilas de sal. Incluimos covariables para la cantidad de perros salvajes, caballos y mineros de sal al modelar la abundancia. La probabilidad de detección se vio afectada negativamente por la distancia a las pilas de sal (0.49, IC 95% = 0.49-0.5). La abundancia no se asoció con la presencia o abundancia de animales domésticos ni actividades de extracción de sal. Estimamos que había 96 (95% IC: 46-201) y 116 (IC 95% = 61-220) Chorlito Nevados en febrero y diciembre, respectivamente. Esperamos poder presentar esta información en la próxima reunión del NAOC y publicarla posteriormente en alguna revista científica.
En agosto de 2019, nuestro grupo participó en la conferencia internacional de BirdsCaribbean en la isla de la Guadeloupe, y en noviembre de 2019 en la Reunión del Grupo de Aves Playeras del Hemisferio Occidental, en Panamá. Allí presentamos los avances de nuestra investigación, y las maneras en que involucramos a las comunidades en este proyecto.
Un Esfuerzo Comunitario
Obteniendo todos los detalles perfectos en el mural/Getting all the details perfect on the mural. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Nuestra asociación con la comunidad ha continuado más allá de las excursiones de la escuela. Recientemente, creamos un mural único inspirado en las aves en la escuela de la comunidad “La Uva” que, por supuesto, incluía representaciones del Chorlito Nevado y el Charrán Menor. ¡Es realmente un trabajo hermoso!
Una de las razones para trabajar en esta región es promover la integración de comunidades que históricamente han sido apartadas de la ciencia y la conservación. En busca de mejorar esta situación, estamos llevando a cabo actividades dentro de este proyecto que integran y dignifican a la comunidad local, y también reconocen la cosmovisión de los habitantes sobre la diversidad biológica de su isla.
Desde el comienzo de este proyecto, entendimos que para proteger la salina y otros lugares de la isla, es necesario trabajar de la mano con los lugareños. Estamos muy agradecidos con la dirección del municipio escolar Obteniendo todos los detalles perfectos en el mural.de Isla de Coche, que nos ha permitido trabajar con las instituciones educativas; así como con el Liceo Napoleón Narváez y los jóvenes de 9no grado, y docentes de varias instituciones educativas por su receptividad y compromiso. Hay muchos miembros de la comunidad que han abierto sus puertas y corazón a este proyecto y a nuestro equipo: Antonio Ros, Daniel Serva, Oscar Riera, Jose Gonzalez, Jesus Escalona, JC Fernández Ordoñez.
Observando los chorlitos/ Observing the plovers (Photo by Antonio Ros)
Pueden surgir muchos obstáculos al ejecutar un proyecto de esta magnitud en Venezuela, pero gracias al apoyo constante de BirdsCaribbean estamos logrando nuestros objetivos. Es muy importante llevar a cabo este proyecto que nos ayudará a comprender mejor la población del chorlito nevado en las islas del Caribe venezolano. Para mí, es un pájaro hermoso, muy peculiar con hábitos muy interesantes. Afortunadamente, en Venezuela todavía se puede observar con mucha frecuencia en algunos lugares. Poder decir que hay una colonia reproductiva en la Isla de Coche y que permanece hasta el día de hoy es una luz de esperanza frente a la crisis ecológica mundial.
Aliya Hosein shares about her recent trip to Saint Vincent to learn more about the endemic St. Vincent Parrot, one of the most beautiful and colorful parrots in the region!
St Vincent Parrot (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
I recently enjoyed an exciting trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I spent nine days on this wonderful, mountainous island; and I can certainly say that St. Vincent Parrots (Amazona guildingii), flying over the lush ridges at Jennings Valley, was the most memorable sight of all.
I spent months preparing for this trip. I carefully planned lodging and flights and made endless calls to my friend Cathlene Trumpet, who is a Forestry Officer with over fifteen years of service to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Department. Among the questions I asked her were “Who sells the best burgers and donuts on the island?” and “Where should I go to see the parrots?” Then it was time to leave Trinidad and fly towards my adventure.
Cathlene and I met through the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellowship Program. For 18 months we worked on an intense, sometimes hilarious, and occasionally scary project on the illegal trade in Blue and Gold Macaws in Trinidad. I remember being in awe as Cathlene related stories about the national campaign to build pride among Vincentians for their endemic parrot. Later, I flipped through my “Parrots of the World” book to find a picture of it.
In the past the St. Vincent Parrot, locally called the Vincie Parrot, was targeted for the local and international pet bird trade because of its beauty and rarity. Although St. Vincent and the Grenadines is made up of over 32 major islands, the St. Vincent Parrot is found only on the mainland of St. Vincent. Poaching and hurricanes, from colonial times to the present day, are still significant threats to the parrot’s habitat. These pressures have resulted in it being listed as Vulnerableon the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and in Appendix I by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It is estimated that there are only 850 St. Vincent Parrots in the wild.\
How Gorgeous is the St. Vincent Parrot!
Saint Vincent Amazon in flight (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
This parrot lives mainly in the upper west and east ridges of the central mountain range, just south of Mount Soufriére and the La soufriére volcano at elevations between 125 to 1,000m. It is a large parrot, certainly larger than the Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica) I am used to seeing in Trinidad. About 40 cm long, it is mostly bronze-brown, multi-colored with yellowish white, blue and green head, greenish-bronze upperparts. It has grey feet, reddish eye, and violet blue-green wings. Its tail feathers are centrally banded violet-blue with broad yellow tips. Two morphs exist: a yellow-brown morph and a less common green morph. Male and female birds are similar. The parrot feeds on the flowers, nuts, fruits and seeds of many plants such as Ficus, Clusia and Cecropia.
There Is More to Be Learned
At the breeding facility at the Botanic Garden (Photo by Cathlene Trumpet)
Before making the trek up into the moist montane forest to see the parrots, I had the pleasure of meeting the Director of the Forestry Department, Mr. Fitzgerald Providence. Initially I was intimidated by his title and stacks of reports on his desk. But once we settled down in his office, I was relieved to find out that he was delightfully welcoming and eager to tell me about St. Vincent.
We chatted about the island’s biodiversity; about flora and fauna both known and waiting to be discovered. He had noticed that the feeding habits of the parrots were changing. The parrots are now visiting agricultural areas on the island. He attributed this change to the influence of climate change on fruiting patterns of the parrot’s natural food plants. In general, however, he felt that much was still to be known about the St. Vincent Amazon. This parrot was proving to be quite mysterious. I was hooked and more than ever wanted to see them in the wild.
Afterwards we visited the Botanical Garden of Saint Vincent where there is a breeding facility for the parrots. The breeding program was established to provide a safety net for the parrots should there be a sudden decline in the wild parrot population following, for example, a hurricane.
An Early Morning Start
The next morning, Cathlene, Ray – her fellow Forestry Officer – my friend Nandani and I headed to Georgetown in a 4-wheel drive along the winding highway. It was five in the morning and people were already up and moving. The radio was airing an announcement to farmers and a reminder of the soon-to-be closed hunting season. We stopped to pick up Ian, another Forestry Officer, before continuing along the highway.
Sunrise over Jennings Valley (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
After about 20 minutes we ventured off into a narrow rugged road leading to Jennings Valley. We arrived at a farmed property with a small cottage. The sun was now beginning to rise and I really did not expect to see or hear any parrots. About 10 minutes into our uphill walk to the look-out point we heard their loud squawks “quaw….quaw…quaw” followed by shrieking “scree-ree- lee.” It was enough to stop us in our tracks. Pairs of parrots were emerging from the ridges north of us. It was still too dark and all we saw were their silhouettes.
As the sun began to rise more parrots began flying out, sometimes directly above us. I was mesmerized by the many colours of the St. Vincent Parrot in the sunlight, against an all-green backdrop. At times it seemed as though the pairs were touching each others’ wings while flying. The largest flock we saw was a group of twelve. They were all squawking, possibly deciding where to go to have breakfast. By now we had reached the look-out; a plateau with mountain views on the northern, western and southern sides and the deep blue Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side.
The Group, Gosfield Charles, Cathlene Trumpet Wyllie, Aliya Hosein, lan Christopher, and Ray Charles, at Jennings Valley (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
For about an hour or so we continued to see parrots flying over. Only one pair flew down into a golden apple (Spondias dulcis) tree near the cottage. I could not see what they were doing from my vantage point, but my guess is that they were feeding, because they were very quiet. A flock of three flew over us. Ian suggested it was a family in which the parents, with their stocky bodies and short tails, were leading the way, with their offspring straggling behind. After this sighting there was a lull in activity. The parrots either rested at the top of the trees or disappeared into the trees along the mountain ridges. We waited for about an hour again before leaving.
It really was a remarkable experience seeing the St. Vincent Parrots flying free, with people who truly appreciated their beauty. Nevertheless there is still a lot to learn about these birds’ ecology and their role in the island’s montane forests. Not much is known beyond its population estimate and description of nesting sites. An understanding of its habitat requirements and reproductive biology are critical components of well-developed protective measures to ensure the long-term survival of this incredible bird on the island.
Article by Aliya Hosein, member of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group. Aliya works as the Leader of the Welfare and Wildlife Program at the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a biologist and avid conservationist, especially fond of parrots and hummingbirds.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to support Nils Navarro’s newest project: an updated, comprehensive Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. This is an ambitious and exciting venture, and we need your help to make it a reality!
Illustrations by Nils Navarro.
Nils Navarro is Co-Chair of the Caribbean Wildlife Art Working Group of BirdsCaribbean. He has dedicated his life to the study and conservation of the biodiversity of his native Cuba as well as other areas of the West Indies and Latin America. He holds a degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in painting. An extraordinarily versatile and internationally recognized wildlife artist and illustrator, Nils’ work is characterized by a refined technique combined with a profound understanding of the biodiversity of the Caribbean region. He is an avid conservationist and has pioneered the promotion and formation of young wildlife illustrators and artists in the Caribbean and Latin America. He co-authored the ground-breaking Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba in 2017 and has published a new edition each year since.
Nils began work on the field guide over a year and a half ago. The new guide will contain the largest number of illustrations by species published by any guidebook on Caribbean birds. Nils will be accomplishing this over five years by drawing upon a thorough review of the literature, museum collections, and field work, as well as Nils’ personal experience, and his role as an eBird reviewer for the island. The field guide will cover the different species, subspecies and plumages, dimorphism, and much more, through a new and practical structure never before used for such a guide.
There has never been a better time to produce a guidebook like this. For the first time in the history of the country, there is a local community movement of birdwatchers who are making significant contributions to the knowledge of Cuban birds. This is accomplished through platforms based on citizen science (eBird Caribbean) and sharing knowledge (via Facebook), and the local community requires an updated comprehensive field guide for identification. Many of these people use a field guide as the main tool for their work. In addition, many people from all over the world visit Cuba to birdwatch. They will appreciate having a a new comprehensive guide that covers all of Cuba’s birds.
If you’re interested to purchase Endemic Birds of Cuba: A comprehensive Field Guide by Nils Navarro, click here. This book covers the endemic birds of Cuba as well as the regional endemics.
BirdsCaribbean is proud to be a sponsoring organization for the upcoming 7th North American Ornithological Congress (NAOC) held in San Juan, Puerto Rico August 10-15, 2020. The conference is held every four years and is one of the largest of ornithological meetings, with over 1,500 expected attendees. This is the first time the conference has ever been hosted in the Caribbean and BirdsCaribbean is excited to showcase the important and exciting work our partners have accomplished!
We are thrilled to have several BirdsCaribbean affiliates representing our community on various planning committees.
Steering Committee: Dr. Lisa Sorenson and Dr. Joe Wunderle
Local Planning Committee: José A. Salguero-Faría and Dr. Joe Wunderle
Scientific Program Committee: Dr. Adrianne Tossas
Diversity and Inclusion Committee: Sheylda Díaz-Méndez and Jessica Cañizares
Early Professional Committee: Dr. Ancilleno Davis
Student Travel & Presentations Awards Committee: Andrew Dobson
Pre- and Post-Conference Field Trips – Gabriel Lugo
In addition, BirdsCaribbean will be hosting a full-day symposium “Island Treasures: Lessons learned from 30 years of avian research, education and conservation.” We are excited to share the great work and success stories of our partners, students, and researchers across the Caribbean. We hope to see you there!
Register for the Conference (Abstracts due March 9th)
Visit the registration page to learn more about pricing for students, those from particular countries that receive reduced registration costs, early professionals, and more! The deadline for abstracts and Student & Postdoc Travel and Presentation Awards has been extended to March 9th. Be sure to submit by this date in order to secure a place to share your work.
BirdsCaribbean is incredibly excited to announce that the island of Trinidad will be the location for our 23rd International Conference to be held in late July 2021! We are happy to be working with the world renowned Asa Wright Nature Center and Tourism Trinidad Limited, as well as other evolving partnerships, to create an unforgettable conference.
American Flamingo and Scarlet Ibis in Caroni Swamp. (Photo by Richard Lakhan)
Trinidad is in the very southern reaches of the Caribbean, just 11 kilometers from mainland Venezuela. Because of this, it boasts a unique blend of South American and Caribbean avifauna. If you have never been birding in South America, Trinidad is both a spectacular and manageable introduction to continental families. With almost 500 species of birds, you are sure to be amazed by the incredible biodiversity found on this tropical island.
In 2003, the BirdsCaribbean conference was hosted on Tobago, the other island in this twin-island nation. 1995 – when we were called the Society of Caribbean Ornithology – was the last and only time we held a conference in Trinidad. We think it’s high time we return to this birding paradise!
BirdsCaribbean is planning a scouting trip this spring to work on all the conference logistics, so stay tuned for more information. Please keep the second half of July 2021 open on your calendars until we confirm the exact dates for the conference. We look forward to sharing more news with you as our plans develop!
Join Jennifer Wheeler as she shares real-life stories from the field about the challenges of saving the endangered Black-capped Petrel, aka Diablotin, from extinction. You might laugh, you might cry, you might want to join the project. Hopefully you’ll feel as inspired as we are about the future of this species, thanks to the hard work of many organizations and people.
Only a very small number of people on the planet can say they have had close contact with a Black-capped Petrel. This mid-sized seabird comes to land only to breed, only at night under cover of darkness, and often heads quickly out of sight into underground burrows. This covert behavior as well as the species’ eerie, wailing vocalizations in the night sky, earned it the name Diablotin (“little devil”) from early European and African arrivals to the Caribbean. It was the birds that should have been afraid: human settlement of the Caribbean, accompanied by the introduction of invasive mammals, reduced the Diablotin from abundant on many Caribbean islands to widely considered extinct by the early 1900s.
The Black-capped Petrel nests in burrows or crevices located at typically hard-to-reach, high-elevation spots in both the Haitian and Dominican Republic portions of Hispaniola. Petrel burrows have yet to be found on any other island (Photo by Jim Goetz)
I’ve been cheerleading and coordinating conservation of the Diablotin for a decade, working with numerous partners in the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group. The species turns out not to be extinct but very rare. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the total world population is estimated at no more than 1,000 breeding pairs. Only about a hundred Diablotin burrows have been located to date, all on the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). It’s actually much easier to see a Diablotin out at sea than find one inland.
My first encounter with the species was in 2009. I saw them zipping by at a distance over the open ocean from the Stormy Petrel, a seabirding tour boat operating out of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Though the Diablotin’s breeding range is limited to the Caribbean, it turns out that they concentrate in a foraging area off the southeast U.S. To observe them at sea, one needs to be out over deep marine waters near or in the Florida Current and Gulf Stream, and that is most easily done where the Outer Banks protrude into the Atlantic. In the subsequent years, I got no closer, and I certainly wasn’t one of the group of people that could say they had touched a Diablotin, seen one up close, or even smelled their fishy body odor. Last year, I decided it was time to change that.
The small number of people who have seen a Black-capped Petrel have usually seen them at a distance from a boat well out at sea in deep marine waters (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Hoping for Haiti
In April 2019 I planned on experiencing the Diablotin first-hand on a trip to Haiti. This is the country where most of those one hundred burrows are known to occur. In fact, it was in Haiti that they were re-discovered on a mountain ridge in 1961, after being lost to science for decades. This is miraculous considering that Haiti is one of the most deforested nations in the world, with some estimates that Haiti has retained less than 1% of its primary forest. Almost all of Haiti has been converted to agriculture or grazing, and secondary forest is degraded by wood-cutting and forest product collection. Petrels don’t need trees for nesting but trees and shrubs provide cover and root structure needed for burrow construction. Additionally, socioeconomic conditions in Haiti are so dire that people encountering these species are quite likely to consume them, which of course, is what introduced rats, cats and mongoose would like to do.
The Black-capped Petrel’s exact nesting locations in Haiti have not been easy to find. Even with the knowledge that they persisted on Haiti, it took until 2002 to locate an active burrow and until 2011 to see a living chick. Finding that little fluffball took an incredible number of hours crawling along cliffs and the forest floor, aided by information collected by radar and automated sound recording devices.
There is a small but significant nesting population of Diablotin in southwest Haiti, in a small patch of primary forest near the village of Boukan Chat. Since the discovery of the Diablotin in this area, local and international conservationists have been building relationships with the citizens of the village. Beginning with humanitarian projects, conservationists now pursue a strategy of improving farming practices and empowering local farmers to convert to more sustainable crops. More productivity on existing farmland reduces the likelihood of encroachment into the forest. Winning the hearts and minds of the local people also involves outreach, education and celebration. Foremost among these is the now annual Festival Diablotin Boukan Chat, which I had hoped to personally experience.
The conservation of the Diablotin relies on the actions and support of the local people. In the Haitian village of Boukan Chat, farmers are encouraged to switch to sustainable tree crops in buffer areas around the remaining patch of forest harboring petrels (Photo by Ernst Rupp)
Unfortunately, 2019 was not a good year for Haiti and its people. Anti-government protests turned violent last February, with accompanying increases in crime. The U.S. State Department and other authorities advised against travel to Haiti. Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) is the organization spearheading much of the education and outreach in Boukan Chat. Adam Brown, project leader, made the disappointing but prudent decision to cancel attendance by international festival team members, including myself.
And yet, civil unrest did not deter the local members from carrying on with the festival! Boukan Chat held a Black-capped Petrel parade with musicians, pupils, farmers, and community members from the village to the soccer pitch. The celebrations ended with a soccer match between two soccer teams, including the appropriately logo’ed Boukan Chat team, ‘The Diablotins.’ There was a nighttime screening of the short film, Haiti, My Love, My Home which tells how the villagers, conservationists and humanitarians, have come together to protect the Diablotin. EPIC just released another amazing film The Diablotin Festival, which portrays the festival and just about makes me cry every time I watch it. I sincerely hope I can attend the Diablotin Festival in-person in the future, and more importantly, that peace returns to Haiti.
A young man in a Black-capped Petrel costume leads the parade during the Festival Diablotin held in Boukan Chat, Haiti. The festival also includes a soccer game and film screening, and is designed to instill interest and pride in the rare bird nesting in nearby forest (Photo by Anderson Jean)
Lost (it) At Sea
May 2019 brought a new opportunity to encounter petrels. This involved another trip on the Stormy Petrel in North Carolina, but with a twist. A team would be attempting to capture petrels at sea in order to fit them with tracking devices. The goal was to learn more about Diablotin movements, and if the transmitters lasted until breeding season the following winter, track them to possibly new and unknown nesting locations. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) invited Chris Gaskin from New Zealand and his super nifty, specially designed hand-held net launcher for the job.
New Zealander Chris Gaskin prepares the air compressor used to launch a spreading net into the air. The net was specially designed to capture flying Black-capped Petrels at sea, in order to fit the birds with tracking devices (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Even with this, I confess, I was a doubter. There was no way this was going to work. Petrels are fast flyers and don’t come all that near to boats. What I didn’t realize was that Chris would be shooting from a small, inflatable Zodiac, which apparently doesn’t spook petrels, especially those fixated on the smelly fish oil put out to attract them. On May 8, as I prepared to drive down to North Carolina from Virginia to join in the expedition, I received a text with an image of a flying net enfolding a Black-capped Petrel!
Turns out that the team was fantastic at catching petrels. Brian Patteson, captain of the Stormy Petrel knew where to find the birds. Brad Keitt with ABC and Pat Jodice with the U.S. Geological Survey South Carolina Coop unit at Clemson University took turns piloting the Zodiac and Chris into position. Chris never missed after his first shot. Yvan Satgé, also with Clemson, deftly fit each bird with a small solar-powered tracking device and took measurements and photos. Arriving in North Carolina, I helped celebrate the first six Diablotin ever captured at sea and I couldn’t wait to observe and assist.
The weather did not cooperate. The first day after I arrived the seas were too rough to be safe. The next day the seas were too calm; open ocean seabirds like wind. The third day was too rough again. I was out of time and actually began driving home. What was I thinking!?! An hour out I came to my senses and turned back to Hatteras to wait for good seas. Finally, on May 14, conditions looked very promising. And they were! It was so exciting to see a bird netted by Chris and watch the Zodiac speeding back to the boat to hand it over to me. And then, the dream came true: I held a living Diablotin in my hands!
One of the first Black-capped Petrels ever to be caught at sea and fit with a satellite tracking device awaits release. In total, 10 birds were tagged in May of 2019, tracking petrel movements to as late as January 2020 (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Not for long. I rushed to disentangle the net, then thrust the bird into someone else’s hands so I could rush to the side of the boat and throw up my breakfast. My big chance to handle a live Diablotin and I nearly foul its feathers with vomitus. Sigh. I was seasick for the rest of the day, providing only comic relief while the rest of the team successfully captured and fitted four more birds with satellite transmitters. Over the months to come, the birds’ movements were followed via satellite. Amazingly, the bird I almost upchucked upon was still transmitting 8 months later, longer than any other. Maybe it felt the love.
Determined in Dominica
As noted, one of the hopes of the satellite tracking was to see if any of the birds traveled to new nesting locations. Diablotin burrows have been found only on Hispaniola, but hope and evidence exists that they also persist on other islands: notably Dominica, where evidence is very strong. In 2015, radar surveys performed by EPIC picked up 900+ petrel-like targets heading in and out of the mountains of that island. Additionally, individual birds were observed through night-vision scopes during those surveys. And over many years, a handful of grounded birds have been found well inland. Following the radar surveys, technical exchanges were arranged to train and assist in ground searching. In April 2016, a team from the Dominican Republic visited Dominica; another exchange in the opposite direction took place in April 2017. Unfortunately, bad weather limited search time and no burrows were located on Dominica. Then, petrel work and just about everything else on that island was derailed when Hurricane Maria blasted Dominica in September 2017, the strongest storm in that island’s recorded history.
Jennifer Wheeler takes a break on a newly opened trail in Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica, during a January 2020 expedition to look for evidence of Black-capped Petrels on that island. (photo by Stephan Brown)
Last month, I invited myself to assist EPIC’s trip to Dominica to repeat radar surveys after five years and to help resume ground searches. Overcoming the challenges of arriving in Dominica late and alone, needing to navigate across the island’s high mountains in the dark, and driving on the “wrong” side of the road, I began to feel quite confident and helpful. I met with staff from the Division of Forestry; attended to the logistics of rental car, rental house, and groceries and obtained the heavy marine batteries needed to power the radar. My greatest success was finding a supply of small desiccant packs (those little bags of silica used to absorb moisture). I visited a dozen shops dealing with computers, appliances, and clothing, affirming that yes, I did mean those little packets that say Do Not Eat, and finally, met success at a shoe store! I was so proud. But pride goeth before the fall.
Did I mention that Dominica has really narrow roads? And it was hard to see my front left side while driving with a right side steering wheel? Fortunately, the burly body-builder was very nice about the big dent I put in his car. Repairing the suspension from shoving his car into a culvert was going to be costly though. The good news was that the damage to the rental truck was minor! You can be sure that I was relieved to turn over the driving to Adam Brown when he arrived on the ferry from Guadeloupe after two weeks of radar surveys there. And I must report that Adam often turned over the driving the really winding roads to local team members Machel Sulton and Stephen Durand. Things went smoothly after that.
We assembled the marine radar equipment and headed into the hills. Sure, setting up takes some work, but this field activity was really pleasant. We positioned ourselves on a hilltop and watched the sun set, enjoyed the cool breezes, and looked and listened for night flying creatures. Petrels appear as a distinctive pattern of blips on the radar screen. Adam would note them coming and call out for us to attempt a sighting with the night vision or thermal image scope. As was the case in 2015, the surveys detected a number of petrels at a number of locations, flying rapidly in and out of the mountains. The peak of activity commenced about 45 minutes after sunset and tapered off at about three hours. At 9 p.m. we were packing up and headed to dinner, excited about our findings but a little concerned about the drop in petrel target numbers since 2015.
Adam Brown, Stephan Durand and Machel Sulton set up for an evening of radar surveillance in Dominica in January 2020. Five years earlier, the first radar surveys conducted on the island revealed hundreds of petrel-like targets flying in or away from several of Dominica’s mountains (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Daytime work to place soundmeters required more exertion. Radar surveys only point the way to the peaks where petrels might be nesting. Placing automated recording devices in these areas to collect any vocalizations helps narrow down the sites and seasons to search. As noted, work on Dominica to find petrels discontinued in late 2017, and the trails to the peaks selected for soundmeter placement had yet to be cleared of trees felled by hurricane and two years of new growth. Division of Forestry foresters are really very good breaking trail with machetes; regardless, it was a slow, hot hike up to the first of the selected peaks. It was certainly not unpleasant, given the varied foliage, numerous orchids and occasional songbird; but I wish we had packed more food! Once we reached higher elevations, there was the chance of finding petrel burrows so off trail into the thick, prickly underbrush we went. Crawling through the dirt, peering under roots and sniffing at holes, I fantasized about finding a burrow entrance. I’m a finder by nature—I’m happy to spend hours looking for beach glass, fossils, antiques—and I just KNEW at any moment, I would see a hole with a tell-tale plop of guano or catch a fishy whiff of petrel. What a find it would be! Alas…I did not nor did anyone else. There is still no documented nesting in Dominica since 1862.
Persistence
Now it’s February, and petrel conservationists are gearing up for field work and community-based conservation on Hispaniola. I’ve heard that the biologists in Cuba are planning an expedition into the Sierra Maestra. There will be detailed reports coming out on the surveys in Guadeloupe and Dominica, with the findings from monitoring and recommendations for continued searches. Soundmeters are placed and listening. The members of the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group are strategizing for the long term and seeking funds. With the Diablotin, we must be persistent. Finding the petrel is difficult; contemplating the magnitude of its threats—human population growth, habitats invaded by introduced mammals, and climate change foremost among them—can be overwhelming. But as long as there are Diablotins, there is hope.
Here’s one more story to serve as a symbol of surviving against the odds. After placing a new soundmeter in Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica, we went in search of one deployed in 2017 and actually found it. It was bleached, scratched, and breached by rainwater. The tree to which it was strapped was broken and battered by the 160 mph winds of a Category 5 hurricane. It was difficult to open the unit. Yet the SD card inside survived, containing readable data. Miracles do happen.
Jennifer Wheeler is an avid adventurer and loves volunteering her time to help conservation causes. She was the coordinator of the Waterbird Council for 10 years and Board member and Treasurer of BirdsCaribbean for 8 years. She is currently co-chair of the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group and Financial Officer for BirdsCaribbean.
The activities noted in this article were largely supported by Seabirding/Stormy Petrel, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean, Plant with Purpose, Jeune En Action Pour La Sauvegarde De l’Ecologie En Haiti, Soulcraft All-stars, Grupo Jaragua, BirdsCaribbean (and the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund of BirdsCaribbean), American Bird Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey South Carolina Coop unit at Clemson University, Dominica Division of Forestry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Disney Conservation Fund.
Please Donate!
To help save the Black-capped Petrel from extinction while also working with the people of Haiti to farm more sustainably, please donate here or here.
To view larger images in the gallery, click on each photo; they may also be viewed as a slide show.
Conservation actions in Boukan Chat, Haiti include educational programs for both adults and children. The long-term goal of these programs is to provide local people with knowledge and appreciation for sustainable agriculture and other livelihoods that increase standard of living and protect natural resources into the future. (photo by Anderson Jean)
Adam Brown takes a GPS measurement on a ridge overlooking a valley where radar detected petrel movements in and out of the nearby peaks (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Stephen Durand takes in the view overlooking a Dominica valley where radar detected petrel movements in and out of the nearby peaks. (photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
A soundmeter placed in early 2017 in Dominica’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park was recovered in 2020. Though the data are yet to be analyzed, the unit’s sound card was intact inside the unit, despite the devastation wrought by Category 5 Hurricane Maria (Photo by Stephen Durand)
Members of the team aboard the Stormy Petrel are all smiles after a successful expedition to catch Black-capped Petrels at sea. Can you tell who was seasick most of the trip? Back row, left to right: Yvan Satge, Chris Gaskin. Front row: Captain Brian Patteson, Jennifer Wheeler, Kate Sutherland, Brad Keith.
Jennifer releases a Black-capped Petrel fitted with a satellite tag.
The Cayman Islands Government is urging residents who are keeping Cayman Parrots as pets to have their birds registered with the Department of Environment (DoE) before February 29th, 2020. This amnesty is part of the Government’s efforts to reduce poaching and prevent further decline in the wild parrot populations on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The Grand Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis) and the Cayman Brac Parrot (A.l. hesterna), both represent the national bird of the Cayman Islands. The local name is “Cayman Parrot” but these parrots are a subspecies of the Cuban Parrot, which occurs in Cuba, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands and was formerly called the Rose-throated Parrot (read more on eBird Caribbean).
The Grand Cayman Parrot is generally green, with a white forecrown, white eye-rings, red cheeks (depending on whether male or female), black ear patches and blue wing feathers which are only seen in flight. Their tails are green with blue edges and red and yellowish-green underneath. The Cayman Brac Parrot is smaller in size and has a more pure white forehead with a large maroon area on its abdomen.
Cayman Parrot in the wild (Photo by Jane Håkonsson)
As is typical of parrots, they are active during the early morning, when they go out in search of fruits and berries. During the breeding season they look for food as well as tree cavities in which to raise their young. When resting quietly after their morning activities, they ‘comb’ and clean their feathers using their beaks. It is almost impossible to spot them at this time as they are perfectly camouflaged among the leaves of the trees. In the late afternoon they return to their roost.
The Cayman Brac Parrot previously inhabited Little Cayman but its prime nesting sites were destroyed in the Storm of 1932. It now has the smallest known range of any Amazon parrot in the world. Its survival depends entirely on the protection of remaining old-growth forest which can still be found on Cayman Brac.
Natural disasters such as hurricanes are a threat to the Cayman parrots’ survival—but not the only one. Habitat loss through development and trapping for the illegal pet trade also jeopardize the future of these birds.
DoE Research Officer, Jane Håkonsson, inspecting a pet Cayman Parrot
These parrots have been highly sought “gifts” and pets, even though they are protected by law. It is illegal to trap, sell and keep the birds in captivity. Yet, many people still keep them as pets. In an effort to curb the illegal trade in the national bird, the DoE set up a six month amnesty program, running from September 1st 2019 to February 29th 2020. Pet parrot owners can now legally register their birds without the risk of their pets being taken away.
Each pet parrot will be checked by a veterinarian, given an identification number printed on a small band around the parrot’s leg and implanted with an identification chip, similar to the ID tags used to register dogs and cats, at no cost to the owner.
About a year ago, the DoE started a collaboration with a private member of the public to open a much-needed Parrot Sanctuary in East End. The Cayman Parrot Sanctuary boasts native plants and trees. Parrots that are not yet able to return to the wild are housed in secure, clean and spacious aviaries. The Sanctuary is managed by Australian-born Ron Hargrave, who is very much invested in the conservation and well-being of parrots and Cayman wildlife.
The Sanctuary takes in injured parrots and provides rehabilitative care, with the goal of releasing the birds back into the wild population. The birds have a much higher chance of survival in the wild following releases from the sanctuary. They are given thorough medical exams and their health is continuously monitored. Parrots are also taught how to be wild birds again. They have natural foods to eat and learn where to find them; they are also able to form social bonds with other parrots.
Cayman Parrot at the Parrot Sanctuary (Photo by Jane Håkonsson)
Following every release, the birds are provided with temporary supplemental feeding stations. Their behavior and movements are monitored in the wild. To date seven parrots have been released.
Not all parrots can be released back into the wild. Therefore, pet parrot owners are discouraged from releasing their pet birds themselves. They should instead contact the DoE. Also, if you are a Cayman Parrot owner but have not yet registered your bird, please call Jane Håkonsson on 925-1807 or 949-8469 or email [email protected].
Spread the word and help protect the Cayman Islands’ national bird for generations to enjoy!
Special thanks to Aliya Hosein (Leader of the Welfare and Wildlife Program at the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago) and Jane Ebert Håkonsson (Cayman Islands’ Department of Environment Research Officer) for this blog article!
Erika Gates reports on the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Grand Bahama, just 4 months after Hurricane Dorian devastated large parts of the island. Initial surveys revealed badly damaged habitats and very few birds. What would they find on their 20th CBC?
Grand Bahama Birders and visiting participants gathered for our annual CBC, which took place in the West End area on January 4th and covered Central Grand Bahama on January 5th of this year. The group was worried. We did not know what species and bird numbers we could expect after the habitat and environment had only experienced 4 months of recovery, following the devastating damage of Hurricane Dorian over 3 days (Sept 1–3, 2019).
We had assessed bird life in the Eastern part of our island one month after the storm and sadly witnessed the catastrophic damage that the storm and surge had done there to humans and their homes! Very few of our resident birds had survived out east, especially those that depended on the Caribbean Pine forest and Hardwood Coppice like the Bahama Warbler, Olive-capped Warbler, Loggerhead Kingbird, Cuban Pewee, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Black-faced Grassquit. Arriving winter migrants would have inspected the non-existent habitats, vegetation, and food sources and most likely continued on south.
The orientation evening prior to our first count day is always a happy occasion as Erika Gates welcomed visiting birders and team leaders back. This included Count Compiler Bruce Purdy from Florida, Team Leader Bruce Hallett from Atlanta, Team Leader Dr. Woody Bracey (Bahamas), and visiting birders Craig and Barbara Walker (California).
Group photo of all participants at the 2019 Christmas Bird Count in Grand Bahama. (Photo by Jock Hall)
Special guests at the Gates’ that evening were Ann and Sidney Maddock from South Carolina. Ann is finalizing her photographic hummingbird book “Winged Jewels” in the Bahamas while Sidney is conducting a winter months survey for of Piping Plovers on many Bahamian islands (with funding from Environment Canada). Upon distribution of clipboards with team and area assignments we all sat together, shared a meal, chatted a while, and then everybody retired early. I felt a sense of anxiety in the air about what to expect the next morning!
Taking a Step Back in Time
The first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on December 25th in the year 1900 in the United States. Up until then it had been a tradition for persons that liked the outdoors to engage in the Christmas Bird Hunt. People would go into the fields and forests in teams and shoot any bird they saw. The winning team would be the one that brought in the largest number of dead birds! Many persons became concerned about the indiscriminate, senseless slaughter of these beautiful feathered creatures and worried about declines in bird populations. Dr. Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore which evolved into Audubon magazine, suggested the alternative of counting rather than shooting birds. Thus began the first Christmas Bird Count in the year 1900 with 27 dedicated birders observing and counting birds.
Grand Bahama has participated the CBC for the past 20 years. The count now includes all Canadian Provinces, some Caribbean islands, the Bahamas, South America and several Pacific islands. This year more than 80,000 birders will have participated in this count on one chosen day between December 15th and January 5th from sunrise to sunset. The count data is becoming increasingly important in predicting the effects of climate change and decline in bird populations. Our local birders, together with their international partners, will be contributing valuable information to the longest running database in ornithology.
Team Reports
West End Teams
Jill Cooper, Gena Granger, Bruce Hallet (team leader), Woody Bracey, Randrew Martin, Barbara Zill, Erika Gates, Delores Kellman (recorder) and Bridget Davis (photographer)Louise Durocher, Bruce Purdy (team leader), Arlene Kerber, Candice Woon, Gail Woon, Melanie Darville (recorder), Judith Dawkins, Craig Walker, Barbara Walker, Rudy Sawyer, Martha Cartwright (photographer)
As expected, both West End teams got a 7 am start on a windy day of the count. Bruce Purdy’s sites included Eight Mile Rock, Holmes Rock wetlands, Josie’s Cave, Bootle Bay and Bayshore Road. Bruce Halletts’s team had been assigned to survey the Old Bahama Bay property and the West End golf course. Both teams returned back to Freeport at sunset and were elated with a combined number of 71 species observed, matching the West End count in 2017! There were several rare species to report as well, like Gadwall, Mottled Duck, Whimbrel, American Pipit, American Oystercatcher, and Snow Goose.
American Oystercatcher (Photo by Erika Gates)Beautiful pair of Mottled Ducks (photo by Bruce Hallett)Snow Goose, a rare migrant to the Caribbean. (Photo by Erika Gates)
Central Grand Bahama Teams
Our spirits were uplifted and we all were in happy moods at sunrise the next morning when we set out in four teams for our Central Grand Bahama count of many of our Freeport birding sites. Some of the most productive areas out of the 25 sites to be surveyed on day two were Lewis Yard wetlands, Emerald Golf Course pond, Reef Golf Course, LIS wetlands, Taino Trail, Garden of the Groves, Barbary Beach, Rand Nature Centre, Pine Tree Stables, and the Gates’ Bird Sanctuary.
By sunset our hopes had been restored that the catastrophic Dorian had failed to wipe out Grand Bahamas’ beautiful feathered friends and that many of our resident and migratory species as well as their habitat had shown tremendous resilience! All four teams were happy with an amazing count of 93 species for the Freeport area, almost coming close to previous years which tallied anywhere between 95 to 110! Rarities for the Freeport area were a Red-breasted Merganser, Willet, Chipping Sparrow, and Canada Goose.
Chipping Sparrow, a rare migrant to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. (photo by Erika Gates)Whimbrel (photo by Erika Gates)Canada Goose (Photo by Erika Gates)
The traditional Tally Rally and Final Dinner were celebrated at Garden of the Groves once again after the Garden had undergone four months of hurricane restoration under the expert and tireless leadership of general manager, Marilyn Laing and her team. Everyone was much encouraged to see and document that birds had returned to habitats that are still recovering.
Intensive surveys are being carried out in both Abaco and Grand Bahama by the Bahamas National Trust with support from partners (e.g., BirdsCaribbean, American Bird Conservancy, Audubon) to assess the damage to habitats and population sizes of species of conservation concern, such as the Olive-capped Warbler, Bahama Warbler, Bahama Parrot and especially the Bahama Nuthatch. We eagerly await results from these studies. For now, we are pleased with our observations from the CBC which shows that more common species are alive and coming back to our recovering habitats.
To learn more about how to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, click here, here, and here.
Erika Gates is owner and operator of Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama Nature Tours and Grand Bahama Birders’ Bed and Breakfast. Erika is a former Board member of BirdsCaribbean. She is also leading bird conservationist on the island, educating and involving youth and communities through various programs such as BirdSleuth Caribbean, the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, World Migratory Bird Day, Caribbean Waterbird Census, her annual birding course, habitat restoration projects, and more.
From all of us at JCO, thank you to all of the authors and reviewers that contributed to a very successful Volume 32!
Inside you’ll find a sizable number of publications, including 16 research articles, our first designated “Conservation Report,” 4 book reviews, Recent Ornithological Literature from the Caribbean, and a special In Memoriam for the late Dr. James. W. Wiley.
I want to give some much-earned recognition to the 2019–2020 JCO team. While they were undertaking the aforementioned load of manuscripts, they were working double-time to make some incredible improvements behind-the-scenes. Let me just say that it’s no easy task to create and adopt a new workflow while you simultaneously have a dozen manuscripts—each at different stages— moving through the old workflow. And this new workflow means better communication, a higher-caliber final product, and a more efficient pathway for a manuscript to proceed from submission to publication. All great things!
Please take some time to enjoy all of Volume 32. Inside you’ll find a suite of excellent work stemming from more than 17 countries across the Caribbean. We should all take pride in this work and make the time to congratulate each other on all of these accomplishments. If you enjoyed reading a publication, please send the authors a quick email letting them know. That is what makes Caribbean ornithology special—a sense of community and comradery unlike anywhere else.
Thank you for your support of JCO!
— Justin Proctor, JCO Managing Editor
Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 32.
On December 3rd, 2014, ornithologists spotted an American Pipet during an annual Cuba Bird Survey led by the Caribbean Conservation Trust. Previously undocumented in Cuba, this observation marks the first report of this species on the island, and underscores the importance of the Guanahacabibes region as an important stopover for fall migrants.
James F. Dwyer, Thomas I. Hayes, Russell Thorstrom, and Richard E. Harness
After a translocation program for the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk was stymied by electrocutions in the Dominican Republic, Dwyer et al. began to investigate. In this article, the authors identify the errors made while retrofitting power poles and discuss the necessity of properly mitigating electrocution risks for this project, and others throughout the Caribbean.
Meghann B. Humphries, Maribel A. Gonzalez, and Robert E. Ricklefs
Currently, there are eight subspecies of Carib Grackle distributed across the Lesser Antilles and northern South America. By sequencing mitochondrial genes of Carib Grackles across their range, Meghann et al. shed light on the phylogenetic and geographic history of the species, bringing into question the bases for the subspecies classifications.
In response to the dearth of current literature on the White-crowned Pigeon, Acosta and Mugica compiled the latest data on this Vulnerable species in Cuba. Here, they present their findings, focusing on the current distribution of the species as well as conservation measures that have contributed to the perseverance of the species.
Anthony Levesque, Antoine Chabrolle, Frantz Delcroix, and Eric Delcroix
While the Sedge Wren commonly winters in Florida, it has yet to be recorded in the Caribbean, until now. In this article, Levesque et al. recount their sighting of this species on Grand Bahama Island, providing descriptions and photographs of the bird’s diagnostic features and the habitat where it was located.
Christopher C. Rimmer, John D. Lloyd, and Jose A. Salguero-Faria
After Puerto Rico was identified as potential overwintering habitat for the globally Vulnerable Bicknell’s Thrush, Rimmer et al. conducted surveys to clarify the species’ winter distribution on the island. Here, they report that Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare and local species in Puerto Rico and highlight the importance of conservation efforts in Hispaniola, where the species is more abundant.
In 1796, Nicolas-Thomas Baudin captained an expedition to the caribbean, bringing back close to 300 specimens; however, there is controversy surrounding their procurement. After investigating the origin and spread of these specimens, Jansen and Fuchs document their findings and address the arguments of theft made by David K. Wetherbee (1985, 1986).
Currently, the six subspecies of Turkey Vulture are delineated by external measurements and subtle plumage variations, with the Antillean Turkey Vultures falling under Cathartes aura aura. However, through photographic documentation and eBird records, Graves calls attention to the similarity of facial caruncles on Turkey Vultures throughout the caribbean to those present on the eastern United States and Middle America populations. As facial caruncles are largely absent from South American populations, Graves’ work brings into question the diagnostic nature of these markings.
While there are no species of geese native to Jamaica, vagrant or introduced species have been recorded intermittently on the island. Here, Levy amalgamates the scattered history of three geese species in Jamaica and presents a new record of a Snow Goose, illustrated in 1758: the second Snow Goose ever recorded in Jamaica.
Though the comb forkedfern is native to the New World tropics, it is invasive to protected areas in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. By comparing the bird diversity between invaded habitats and fern-free habitats in the Mason River Protected Area, Davis demonstrates that increased incidence of comb forkedfern decreases bird diversity, particularly native species. Through this, Davis urges the importance of controlling fern spread to protect native bird and plant species.
Richard R. Schaefer, Susan E. Koenig, Gary R. Graves, and D. Craig Rudolph
Though the Jamaican Crow and Jamaican Boa co-occur in certain habitats in Jamaica, there are no published reports of their interactions. By detailing four accounts of mobbing by crows on boas and one probable instance of depredation of a crow’s nest by a boa, Schaefer et al. are the first to document a presumably ongoing feud between these two native species.
With violently strong winds, hurricanes are known to displace birds and transport them to new and unusual habitats. That is why, when Hurricane Maria passed over Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017, Pérez-Rivera was ready. Here, he documents several unusual bird sightings made by him and others in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
The island of La Gonâve, Haiti, boasts a diversity of bird habitats and has historically sustained a variety of both diurnal and nocturnal raptor species. However, due to rampant environmental degradation and habitat destruction, it is rarely visited by ornithologists or wildlife researchers. After conducting raptor surveys on La Gonâve in 2012, White et al. compared their findings with historical records of raptors on the island, noting that only a few generalist species have been able to sustain populations.
While the Shiny Cowbird is native to South America, over the past century, this brood parasite has spread across the caribbean archipelago and into North America – but how and when did this dispersal occur? In an effort to document the introduction and spread of this species in Jamaica, Levy compiles historical observations of Shiny Cowbirds and postulates a potential hurricane-mediated arrival on the island.
André Dhondt, Jeremy L. Collison, Matthew H. Lam, Matthew J. D’Ambrosio, and Taylor L. Crisologo
Palmchats are among the few passerine species that build complex, multi-chambered nests; however, there are no published studies of their nest-related behavior. After studying Palmchat nests in the Dominican Republic, here, Dhondt et al. report on their observations, noting differences in group size, nest size, twig-related activities, twig length and shape, and nest construction.
William E. Davis, Lisa G. Sorenson, and Ernesto Reyes Mouriño
On January 28th, 2018, birders on the BirdsCaribbean Cuba Bird Tour in Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, Cuba, spotted an almost entirely white Willet amongst a group of Short-billed Dowitchers and other Willets. In this article, Davis et al. present photographic evidence and a detailed description of this leucistic Willet and use phenotypic characteristics to classify it as a western subspecies.
Since its introduction to Cuba in 2003, the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival has achieved paramount recognition for its talks, conferences, competitions, workshops, exhibitions, and other ornithological events. By uniting and strengthening the national network of environmentalists, this festival has expanded its scope of activities and built its capacity to prepare and distribute educational materials.
[this is our first publication under the header “Conservation Reports” – we invite more of these!]
Jason M. Townsend, Rafaela Aguilera Román, Felisa Collazo Torres, José González Díaz, Chandra Degia, Hiram González Alonso, Floyd E. Hayes, Lyndon John, Steven C. Latta, Lourdes Mugica Valdés, Nils Navarro Pacheco, Fernando Nuñez-García, Carlos Peña, Herbert Raffaele, Pedro Regalado, Ernesto Reyes Mouriño, Yaroddy Rodríguez, Bárbara Sánchez Oria, Helen Snyder, Joseph Wunderle
Summary: This In Memoriam of Dr. James W. Wiley not only celebrates his foundational research career, with four decades of published work, but also the profound personal connections he built through his mentorship and friendship. Twenty authors contributed to this piece, paying homage to Jim and painting a beautiful picture of the life he lived.
A special thank you to Dr. Steven C. Latta, Director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary and longtime editor for JCO, for his continued efforts undertaking this important section of our journal that compiles recent publications from around the Caribbean. Steve has been contributing ROLs to JCO since Volume 22 in 2009.
“My idea then was to catch everything that was published after the publication of Jim Wiley’s “A Bibliography of Ornithology in the West Indies” which I always thought was a tremendous effort and a tremendous resource. I wanted to make it easier for people across the Caribbean to have ready access to the most recent literature by knowing what had been published and how to contact the researchers for copies of their papers. I also wanted to make the updating of the bibliography a whole lot easier.”
Steve has done an outstanding job and we encourage our readers to look back through his work over the past 10 JCO volumes, which can all be found in our free and open-access Archives.
Article by (1) Simon Campo – Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and a Researcher at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT; Connect with Simon via LinkedIn or email; (2) Justin Proctor – Managing Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology; and (3) Aliya Hosein – Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago.
Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. If you would like to support our mission and the broader goal of giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work, please consider becoming a supporter of JCO.
Join Chris Johnson as he recounts his experience conducting the Christmas Bird Count on Abaco just two months after Hurricane Dorian devastated the region. While the survey was a somber reminder of the destructive forces of nature and how much recovery is still needed, Chris and his team found hope and encouragement in the birds they encountered. #AbacoStrong
Abaco – my beloved island
The Bahama Yellowthroat (endemic to the Bahamas) is one of many species of birds directly affected by Hurricane Dorian. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
I have been bird-watching in Abaco, an island in the northern Bahamas, for a little over eleven years. Actually, Abaco is where I started birding at the age 7. Needless to say, Abaco is very near and dear to my heart. When Hurricane Dorian hit the island that I have so much love for, I was heartbroken. I could not begin to fathom how my favorite island would be changed forever.
The hurricane occurred in September 2019, and shortly after, I made a trip back to assist some family members. The destruction I saw was catastrophic and the numbers of bird species had declined dramatically. On December 7th, 2019 , I learned that there would be no annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for North and South Abaco. I asked fellow birder and mentor Dr. Elwood Bracey if there were any plans to conduct the CBCs on Abaco. I was distraught to learn that the two annual leaders – Dr. Bracey and Reg Patterson – would not be able to attend and assist in the conducting of these surveys. The Abaco CBCs are a yearly tradition for the past ten years; I was very disheartened. I thought it over and said to myself, “If there’s nobody else who can lead it… You have to do it!” I contacted my Abaco emailing list and began to “round up the troops” for the 2020 Abaco CBCs.
After I touched down in Marsh Harbour for the second time post-Dorian, I realized immense reconstruction had begun. Roofs were being replaced, trash was being hauled back and forth to the dumps, the roads had been cleared of debris, and the well-known Abaco food store, Maxwell’s, had reopened. Sadly, however, the resident bird life in Marsh Harbour was still immensely affected. During three hours in Marsh Harbour the only resident birds that were seen or heard were four Great Egrets; five Eurasian Collared-Doves (invasive species, now resident); and a Turkey Vulture.
The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian during one of the author’s visits showing the destruction of St. Francis De Sales Catholic School and defoliated trees. (Video by Chris Johnson)
At the end of the first day in Abaco, a gorgeous sunset peered through the pulverized pine barrens. It was a beautiful ending to the day; the South Abaco CBC would follow the very next day.
South Abaco Christmas Bird Count
I woke up on the morning of South Abaco CBC anxious for the day to come. I brewed my two cups of coffee and sat on the porch as I felt the 20 mile per hour winds roll through Cherokee Sound. My Uncle, Keith Kemp arrived at my grandfather’s house at around 6:30 a.m. so we could begin our journey south to “The Y” (a popular landmark in South Abaco) at the Abaco National Park. Along the way we collected fellow birder and leader for the South Count, Niles Primrose. Along the 28-mile drive from Cherokee Sound down to The Y, we discussed the team grouping and the leaders for each team. We all agreed that my uncle would lead the team going North of the Abaco National Park, Niles would lead the Sandy Point team and I would lead the Abaco National Park (Forest) team. We arrived at the meet-up spot for 7:30 promptly. At the Y we met our additional birding peers: Janene Roessler and Lavonda Smith. After catching up for a short time we were met by Bahamas National Trust (BNT) park warden Marcus Davis. As we discussed the plans for the day a resident Red-Tailed Hawk flew over the group. A great first bird for the Forest Team! With everyone assembled we split into our respective groups and went our separate ways.
Abaco is located in the northern Bahamas. (Map by Aly Ollivierre)
The forest team, consisting of Marcus Davis and myself, travelled into the forest armed with our binoculars, field guides and one oversized camera to count all the bird species that we could possibly find. The first species that we saw was a male Cuban Emerald, fluttering around some morning glory flowers. He was eventually chased away from his routine pollination job by another Cuban Emerald, who also wanted a taste of the nectar. As we continued traversing the forest, we were listening closely for some Bahamian specialties such as the Bahama Warbler and Olive-capped Warbler. The next bird of interest was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker hard at work on drilling into a Caribbean Pine Tree.
The sapsucker, who was reaping rewards from his task of drilling into the dense pine tree, became “antsy” very quickly. Before our eyes the bird was under attack from another species of the raptor family. A Merlin had seemingly dropped out of the sky to attempt to catch the apsucker for a meal. However, the plot had failed and the Merlin decided to sit on a long pine branch. After a great photo-op, the small falcon decided that enough was enough and he was back on the hunt. He began coasting along the track road that appeared unaffected by Dorian, awaiting another opportunity for prey to present itself.
A Resilient Abaco National Park
As we journeyed deeper into the National Park, Marcus began to explain how lucky South Abaco was. It was minimally affected by Hurricane Dorian. And the numbers, even within the pine forest, were proving this statement. As we continued our conversation, a vivacious song filled the forest. Not one, not two, but three Pine Warblers flew into the pine right in front of our vehicle. The bright yellow warblers flew onto the bark of the pines, flitting about and dropping into the understory. After these warblers, we saw an Abaco and Grand Bahama specialty bird. The tiny and long-tailed Olive-capped Warblers maneuvered through the large pine tree tops, singing and chirping. The show continued for another ten minutes as we watched the tiny warblers ramble about the pine forest.
Northern Parula posing in Abaco National Park. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
Forty minutes in and we were already up to 17 species. However, we were still missing a few species. The Bahama Warbler, a relative of the North American Yellow-throated Warbler was finally seen for the first time of the day clinging onto the bark of the large pine trees and moving transversely. I decided to use a playback of a Bahama Warbler in an attempt to coax the fascinating warbler out. The explosive song from the pint-sized warbler began to ring out from within the forest. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7… seven Bahama Warblers flew into the pines directly in front of Marcus and me. What a sight to see! All of these warblers congregated together even after Hurricane Dorian.
After many more encounters with the Bahamian specialties, we began to spot and note many more migrant and winter resident species. Some of these species’ behavior and feeding habits had definitely changed thanks to Hurricane Dorian. For example, I noted a group of Indigo Buntings hopping about and feeding along the quarry road, something I had not seen in my ten-plus years of birding. Many birds were also grouped together, something quite abnormal for the time of year. One by one winter residents began to appear: Black-and-white Warblers, Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated Warblers, American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats and an abundance of Palm Warblers.
A Thick-billed Vireo spotted during the count. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
We eventually arrived at Cross Harbour to begin counting some water birds and shorebirds. Upon arrival at Cross Harbour, we were greeted by two new species. Sticking to each other very closely were a Yellow-rumped Warbler of the Myrtle variety and a Cuban Pewee. Both concentrated on catching insects for a quick meal. With all of the wind on the shorefront, catching bugs would prove to be a difficult task.
As Marcus and I traversed the seemingly endless beach and shore we also spotted new species! Three new herons and egrets had positioned themselves on the beach to begin fishing for their food. The species included a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Reddish Egret and a Great Egret. The tiny “tail-bobbing” Spotted Sandpiper decided to make an appearance for the day as it foraged on the shorefront for any small crustaceans that it could fit its beak around.
Along the trail which would eventually lead back to “The Y”, I noticed that we had not seen any species of dove for the day. The Common Ground Doves and Zenaida Doves, which were usually plentiful on the track roads, were now few and far between.
We eventually arrived back at “The Y” and arranged with the other teams to count all the bird species – as well as make time for a group picture in front of the Bahamas National Trust’s Abaco National Park sign! By the time everything was said and done the South count had totaled 62 species on the day of CBC and 67 species after count week. *Count week is the period of time before and after the day of CBC*. The numbers for the South were great post-Dorian as in past years the total number of birds were sometimes over 70.
POST CBC TRIP TO Bahama Palm Shores
After the CBC information was gathered and shared amongst ourselves, we all parted ways and returned back to our homes. I had decided that I just did not get enough birding during the CBC and decided to head to Bahama Palm Shores (BPS). I started off the checklist by stopping near a large patch of coppice. There was a dead tree trunk with dead branches still attached. Upon “pishing” for a few minutes, four Magnolia Warblers appeared. They put on a show by approaching me and got within three feet! The other species that made themselves known were Greater Antillean Bullfinches, Red-legged Thrushes, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and an abundance of Northern Parulas.
As I was just about to wrap up, I heard a vociferous chatter and calling near the easternmost street within Bahama Palm. I knew the chatter well; it was the species that got me started on bird-watching. The Bahama / Cuban Amazon Parrot had established a small population within BPS. I counted a total of more than 45 parrots in that particular area. This was abnormal, as I had never seen a group of more than thirty parrots in Bahama Palm Shores. They all appeared healthy and were actively feeding on Gum Elemi berries. Within the hour and four minutes I had spent at Bahama Palm Shores I had a total of 26 species and 114 individuals sighted (see the full eBird checklist here).
North Abaco Christmas Bird Count
The South Abaco Team. From left to right: Janene Roessler, Chris Johnson, Keith Kemp, Lavonda Smith, Marcus Davis & Niles Primrose. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
The morning of the North Abaco CBC started much like the previous morning. I started brewing my coffee and sat on the porch. This morning was much cooler than the morning of the South Abaco CBC. My Uncle Keith Kemp arrived at the house packed and ready for the day. We jumped in the truck and proceeded to the road that connects Cherokee to the Great Abaco Highway. There at the “turnoff” (the road where the Cherokee and Great Abaco Highway meet) we collected birding buddy Janene Roessler, who would be our scribe for the day.
As we began to inch closer towards Treasure Cay on the S.C. Bootle Highway, we witnessed a bizarre number of Great Egrets grouped in the ruinous wetland. There was a total of 14 Great Egrets in this one area and that was it. No Common Gallinule, Coots, Grebes, or any herons in sight. It was heartbreaking to see the damage to the North; it was undoubtedly worse than the catastrophe that struck Marsh Harbour in Central Abaco.
We arrived at the original meeting point for all the previous North counts. “Spanky’s Parking Lot” was located within Treasure Cay. It was almost unrecognizable, if not for the large liquor store, which was still standing but had lost all of its windows during the storm. The damage at “Spanky’s” would be minuscule compared to the damage within Treasure Cay.
A Cuban Pewee seemingly undaunted by a human with a large camera approaching. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
The first location would be to stop at the waterfront gas station to assess the damage the storm had done to the pylons and small rocky shorefront. After some substantial searching with our binoculars assisted by my 200-500mm camera lens we were able to pick up the first birds for the North Abaco CBC. We found: one Ring-billed Gull, one Black-bellied Plover, one Short-billed Dowitcher, and two Royal Terns.
We meandered our way through the debris-covered roads and paths for the next half hour with our destination in mind. My uncle had always spoken about a sandbank at the eastern end of Treasure Cay that always had birds. On our way out to the beach we were shocked to see Indigo Buntings perched low to the ground in dead shrubs foraging for food. The sandbank tragically held nothing for the count and we continued within the easternmost point. The damage at this end of the settlement was extraordinary. We saw entire “seawalls” washed out by the storm, houses seemingly torn in half, and cars flipped upside down.
Months after the hurricane, forests (like this one near Treasure Cay) have only begun to recover, and it will be years before they are able to support the same biodiversity as before the storm. (Video by Chris Johnson)
The next location was the Treasure Cay Golf Course Ponds. Many species had been counted on these small ponds in previous years. This area was by far our most active for the day. Our most notable species in this area were: White-cheeked Pintails, Least Grebes, Cattle Egrets, Merlin, White-eyed Vireo and the prize bird of the day… a Hooded Merganser! We noted quite a few new species for the count – but the storm-ravaged ponds and golf course were quite distressing to see.
The last few locations that we would check proved extremely disappointing. Sunset Ridge was a famed birding spot within Treasure Cay. Species ranging from Roseate Spoonbills to American White Pelicans, to the extremely rare Bald Eagle sighted by Dr. Bracey for many years had been recorded there. However, hope began to dwindle for the Dorian-devastated wetland. With the assistance of my camera we came to add a few more species to the “slowly-but-surely” growing list. One Belted Kingfisher, two Reddish Egrets, three Little Blue Herons, – and peculiarly enough, another large group of Great Egrets: a total of 26 individuals!
A resident Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was a welcome and familiar sight during the CBC. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
We then decided it would be in our best interest to make our way to Cooper’s Town foreshore to count some gulls and cormorants. Our trip to the foreshore allowed us to add numerous species to the list. It included: 25 Double-crested Cormorants, 18 Laughing Gulls, 11 Ring-billed Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 Great Black-backed Gull!
At the end of the count, we had a total of 43 species for the North. This 2019 total was frightening as in previous years we would sometimes have totals of over 90 species. The number of species was effectively cut by fifty percent.
Final Thoughts
We all know that Dorian has done irreversible damage to Abaco. I would have never thought that such damage could be done to my second home. The catastrophic damage on this island is heartbreaking. The population counts are proving that we have not only lost many birds in the storm, but that birds in Abaco are still struggling to find food and shelter post-Dorian. There are many ways we can assist this Bahamian island in the rebuilding and replenishing of habitat for these avian species that make their home there. BirdsCaribbean and the Bahamas National Trust have done, and continue to do fantastic work in supporting research and replenishment of both Abaco and Grand Bahama. If you would like to assist these organizations in their efforts, please donate to the BirdsCaribbean Hurricane relief fund or The Bahamas National Trust.
Abaco and Grand Bahama will come back in time, and hopefully the birds with them. #AbacoStrong
Hover each photo to see the caption; click on a photo to see a slide show.
This Merlin was hunting along the track road in the forest. (photo by Chris Johnson)
This Bahama Parrot was attempting to blend into the treetop and allowed for great shots as he remained absolutely still. (photo by Chris Johnson)
We were thrilled to have 8 Bahama Warblers (endemic to the Bahamas) fly right in front of us in the forest. (photo by Chris Johnson)
Reddish Egret spotted at Crossing Harbour. (photo by Chris Johson)
Chris Johnson is an avid 18-year-old birder and photographer. He has been birding for over 10 years and has gotten opportunities to further his birding skills namely the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Young Birder Event. He enjoys spending his time on many Bahamian family islands and photographing the fauna around him. You can find him on Instagram @cmjphotography242 to see more photos from this young photographer and birder.
The Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo is true to its common name: it is found nowhere else in the world but the island of Hispaniola, its diet includes lizards (as well as many different insects), and it belongs to the Cuculidae family. On the Dominican side of the island, this cuckoo is known as Pájaro Bobo (“Silly Bird”), while on the Haitian side it goes by the name, Tako. 
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