Our Board Lisa Sorenson, Ph.D. – Executive Director and Past President Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Member since 1996, Project Coordinator, WIWD and Wetlands Conservation Project 1997 to 2016, former Vice President and President of the Board, Executive Director 2013 to present. Nationality: USA Residence: Natick, MA, USA Experience: Lisa has a B.Sc. is in …
BirdsCaribbean is pleased to announce the 2023 cohort of grantees under our three named awards, the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, and the new James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund. These are ten exciting projects that promote the study and conservation of avifauna in …
2023 is the 14th year of our annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) regional count. Many of our dedicated friends and colleagues got out and about in our wonderful wetlands, all across the Caribbean, to count waterbirds! This year we asked people to make a special effort to find wintering Piping Plovers. Many of you did …
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. In this annual blog feature, JCO’s staff is proud to show off the amazing research from scientific teams around the Caribbean. Let your curiosity lure you into exploring: Warblers eat lizards and …
In 2022 BirdsCaribbean ran its first Caribbean Bird Banding workshop in the Bahamas. Get a first-hand account of the highlights of this workshop from Cuban participant Daniela Ventura. Want to know what a ‘Molt Nerd’ is? Read on to find out! No, surely not! Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that in …
This year we have featured seven waterbirds in our Caribbean Water Census graphic! Find out more about each of these beautiful birds in our blog posts and on social media. This Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) featured bird has a love of tropical water and nests in ‘igloos.’ It’s the White-tailed Tropicbird! White-tailed Tropicbirds are medium-size …
2022 was a year of new beginnings. With the COVID era mostly behind us, we focused on moving forward, with a host of activities and projects under way. It was hectic! Puerto Rico vibes! Our 23rd International Conference in Puerto Rico – co-hosted with the American Ornithological Society (AOS) for the first time – in …
During 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count, from January 14 to February 3 2023 we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. If you see any Piping Plovers during your CWC surveys send us their locations and we will add them to our map. Keep an …
Caribbean Piping Plover Survey 2023 During the 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count, from January 14th to February 3rd, 2023 we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. You can do this by planning your CWC surveys in places where Piping Plovers have been seen before …
Caribbean Bird Banding Network Bird banding is a monitoring technique used throughout the world to gain valuable data from birds in the hand. While surveys give us a broader picture of landbird communities, banding gives us deeper insights into how these birds are doing, allowing for assessments of body condition, survival, phenology, demography, longevity, and …
Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Network Although there is a long history of survey-based monitoring in the West Indies, projects have often targeted a few specific species and/or sites on very few islands. A regional survey network that uses a standardized set of protocols will help us understand how birds use different habitats in space and …
Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Landbirds spend the majority of their lives over land, and include birds like parrots, hummingbirds, songbirds, woodpeckers, todies, and raptors. The Caribbean is home to many landbird species, including our resident and endemic birds, as well as migratory species, but populations of many species are declining. Monitoring is essential to filling gaps …
The holidays are here again! It is a special time for togetherness and gratitude, but for many it can also be very demanding—cleaning, entertaining, and gift giving. Exhausted and anxious is not how we want you to experience the holidays. We at BirdsCaribbean have compiled a list of traditional activities that have been adapted to …
This small, round shorebird is listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN with an estimated global breeding population of just 8,400 birds. They breed in restricted areas of North America but migrate south in fall with some birds spending their winter in the Caribbean. It’s vital that we continue to learn more about the numbers …
Every year thousands of birds make epic journeys south, visiting our region on the way. Throughout the fall we celebrated these amazing migratory birds in the Caribbean during World Migratory Bird Day. Check out the fun and creative ways that Caribbean organizations got involved from Laura Baboolal, the Caribbean Coordinator, of World Migratory Bird Day …
The 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count is just around the corner! This year we are asking people to make a special effort to look out for Piping Plovers- read on to find out everything you need to know about CWC in 2023. Starting in 2010 our annual CWC region-wide count has seen …
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2022! This year’s theme is “Dim The Lights for Birds at Night”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home. Migratory Bird of the Day: Worm-eating Warbler The early …
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2022! This year’s theme is “Dim The Lights for Birds at Night”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home. Migratory Bird of the Day: Peregrine Falcon It’s a …
It’s here at last! We are thrilled to announce the recent publication of the highly anticipated, one-of-a-kind Birds of the Lesser Antilles field guide. The author, Ryan Chenery, is the Barbados-born director of Birding the Islands – a locally owned and operated birding tour company specializing in organizing and delivering both single and multi-island bird …
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2022! This year’s theme is “Dim The Lights for Birds at Night”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home. Migratory Bird of the Day: Swainson’s Warbler Swainson’s Warbler …
David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds Inspiration: David S. Lee (1943–2014) was a naturalist and conservation biologist and an important early member of BirdsCaribbean (then the Society of Caribbean Ornithology). David was perhaps best known for his studies of seabirds of the Gulf Stream, yet he published hundreds of scientific papers …
Betty Petersen Conservation Fund Inspiration: Betty Petersen (1943-2013) was one of the founders of Birders’ Exchange, a program to engage people in birding through donations of optic equipment and resources to organizations in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The program was first housed at the (then) Manomet Bird Observatory and later …
The 2022 joint AOS-BC Conference in Puerto Rico was the setting for BirdsCaribbean’s fourth biennial photography competition. Over 800 wildlife professionals from 34 countries attended the conference with many of them using their cameras while they explored Puerto Rico’s rich biodiversity. With over 280+ gorgeous photographs submitted for review, the five judges certainly had their …
Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of the Black-capped Petrel Working Group, shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species. The Black-capped Petrel is locally called the Diablotín (“little devil”) because of the creepy call it makes upon return to its mountaintop burrow in the evening. But nothing is more sinister …
Marta Curti of the Peregrine Fund shares her thoughts on (and love for) our magnificent Caribbean raptors, including several threatened endemic species and subspecies; and introduces a brand new Resource Guide, which will help conservationists, educators, and community members understand raptors better. I am just going to say it. Raptors are cool! Their laser-like eyesight, …
As September draws closer and migratory shorebirds are making their way south, we are getting ready to celebrate World Shorebirds Day 2022! This year, why not show up and take part in the Global Shorebird Count? From help with bird ID to counting tips, BirdsCaribbean has everything you need to make your survey a success. …
Over 700 species of birds live in the Caribbean. This includes 176 species that can be found nowhere else in the world! There is no doubt that birds add music and a splash of color to our lives. Many people enjoy watching wild birds since it distracts them from the pressures of their daily lives. Additionally, …
The results of our first Short Story and Poetry Contest are in! We would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s competition for their creativity and skill at conveying emotion. We received fantastic submissions from the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela …
In March 2022, we installed the first two Motus stations that are part of BirdsCaribbean’s effort to expand the Motus network in the Caribbean region. Three installation experts from the Northeast Motus Collaboration and 12 trainees came together in Puerto Rico to put up stations at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge and Hacienda La Esperanza …
When the world seemed to stop at the behest of the pandemic, forcing most of us to remain at home, our BirdsCaribbean community kept going — birding, monitoring, and sharing our stories from safe spaces in our neighborhoods, community parks, and backyards. Nearly three years and countless virtual meetings later, the anticipation of an in-person …
