Tag: Caribbean Waterbird Census

August 16, 2023

Double Your Impact for Shorebirds at this Year’s Global Shorebird Count: 1-7 September 2023

Hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds are already on the move, and we are getting ready to celebrate World Shorebirds Day 2023! Diverse habitats and food supply make the Caribbean an attractive destination for shorebirds and a veritable birders’ paradise, so why not take part in the Global Shorebird Count this year? BirdsCaribbean has everything you need to help you #ShowUpForShorebirds (and show out!) in the best possible way.

World Shorebirds Day is held every year on September 6. This day celebrates shorebirds, their magnificent migration journeys, and most importantly, raises awareness of the threats they face and actively promotes their monitoring and conservation. The key event associated with this day is the Global Shorebird Count (GSC), September 1-7.

Across the Caribbean (and the entire globe!), groups of birders will be out looking for and counting shorebirds and recording what they find on eBird Caribbean. Some birders will go out in ones and twos; others in small groups. Wherever you are, whoever you are with, or even if you are on your own—we welcome your participation and contribution to citizen science.

This year, we have a special mission for you: we are asking you to do more than one count if possible. Read on to find out why.

Why should you #ShowUpForShorebirds?

The answer is that our migratory shorebirds are more vulnerable than ever, threatened by human activities such as destruction of their habitats, pollution, disturbance, and climate change. Recent analyses show that shorebirds in North America are declining more than any other group of birds; in fact, more than half of 28 species studied were estimated to have lost more than 50% of their abundance in the last 30 years.

Least Sandpiper – a common migrant to the Caribbean; this one has stopped for a rest in St. Maarten (photo by Binkie van Es)

The Caribbean is an important region for migratory shorebirds. They rely on our mangroves, salt ponds, beaches, sand flats, and mud flats to rest and refuel as they continue on their long migrations, or they may spend the entire winter with us.

The Global Shorebird Count helps map the distribution of shorebirds during migration and record their numbers. This data is essential to help us identify and protect key stopover and/or wintering habitats that shorebirds use. Protecting these habitats benefits people too because healthy coastal areas provide vital ecosystem services such as clean water, food, sustainable livelihoods, protection from storm surge, and much more.

Thanks to the great work you all are doing in gathering data through the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) and the Global Shorebird Count, the importance of this region for waterbirds and shorebirds is becoming better understood at a rapid rate. However, scientists are telling us that to further document numbers and long-term trends, more frequent monitoring data are needed, especially during migration. Thus, this year we invite you to visit your nearby shorebird sites and carry out 2 or 3 counts a month during migration season (August-October), ideally a week to 10 days apart. If you’re able to do this, bravo, and thank you! Your efforts will help us learn much more about shorebirds in the Caribbean—you’ll be doubling or tripling your impact for shorebirds.

We can’t do it alone

Individuals, groups and communities must come together to conserve shorebirds and the habitats we both depend upon. This is why we need you to join the GSC to help count shorebirds, invite others, and share how awesome shorebirds are. You may even discover new or rare birds on your islands! Feel free to use our cool graphics to promote World Shorebirds Day (see below), and invite your friends and family to count shorebirds too.

We’ll be here to help you every step of the way.

Grupo Acción Ecológica members counting shorebirds in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino).

Fernando Simal surveying shorebirds. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)

Proyecto Reverdece tu Comunidad-Working on bird ID during a bird count.

Orisha Joseph and her team counting waterbirds at Belmont Salt Pond, Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Where to find shorebirds?

Where should you look for shorebirds? The simple answer is: anywhere there is water. This means that, as their name suggests, you can find them at the beach and on other types of shorelines. However, some shorebirds will be further inland, including in salt ponds and salinas, freshwater pools, agricultural fields, and at brackish marshes and ponds. Shorebirds will also gather on mud flats, in mangrove areas, and on tidal flats.

Wild Cow Run Beach, Middle Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands (Photo by Craig Watson)

You may not be quite sure of the best places to look in your area. If so, why not take a look for ‘hotspots’ at your local wetlands on eBird. Just click on ‘Explore’ on the eBird Caribbean site, and find ‘Explore Hotspots.’ You can open hotspots on a map and then click on a hotspot to see what types of birds have been seen there recently.

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

How to participate in the count

Have an eBird account

eBird Caribbean is a critical tool for tracking and understanding bird migration and population changes—never more so than for our shorebirds. If you do not have an account, it is easy to register—here’s a quick guide to enter eBird data online. Check out our helpful video here on how to use eBird and Merlin.There is even a free eBird Essentials course to get you fully oriented. Download the free mobile app for recording your data in the field. Recording your findings on eBird is not only satisfying and enjoyable, but you are directly contributing to the global knowledge base of birds—what, when, and wherever they are to be found.

If you need help with or have questions about eBird checklists or with setting up an eBird account, do contact Alex Sansom: waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org

Count shorebirds

Visit your local sites where shorebirds occur and do a count. Record all the species you see and/or hear (including other non-shorebird species; see below) and how many individuals of each species. We recommend spending a minimum of 6 to 10 minutes at each site (longer if there are a lot of birds) and scanning the entire area carefully with your binoculars to detect birds, which can easily blend into their surroundings (mud, water, vegetation, etc.). Be sure to record the start time and duration of your count if you’re using a notebook (the ebird mobile app will do this for you). Start a new checklist each time you change locations.

Mixed flock of shorebirds — A mixed shorebird flock seen during Roots & Shoots CWC survey, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Miguel Angel Rivera)

Count shorebirds on as many different locations as you can during the Global Shorebird Count period (1-7 Sept). Then, if possible, repeat your counts at these same sites 2 or 3 times a month during fall migration (August through October). Repeated counts will greatly add to our knowledge of shorebird movements and migration patterns!

Note that shorebirds are a type of waterbird. So, any counts you do at wetlands, mangroves, mud flats, coastal areas or beaches at any time of year count as Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) counts. When you do your counts please choose one of the CWC protocols in the eBird app or when you submit or edit your data online. When you are using the mobile app make sure that you are using the eBird Caribbean Portal. To check or change the portal you are using, go into your settings on the app and look for “Portal” and select “eBird Caribbean.”

Very important: To greatly increase the value of your count to science, be sure to count ALL birds at your site, including seabirds, herons, egrets, ducks, coots, land birds, etc. In other words, keep complete checklists – learn more here.

Share your eBird checklists

Each time you complete a checklist, be sure to share it with ebird username worldshorebirdsday. This will ensure that your checklists are included in data analyses for the Global Shorebird Count.

If you are new to checklist sharing, check out this quick tutorial on how to do it.

Making a bird list during CWC — Coral Aviles listing birds on eBird, Blassina Canal Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves)

Rinse and repeat

As mentioned above, we ask that, if possible, do 2 or 3 counts at your local site or sites per month during fall migration (7 to 10 days apart is ideal). Scientists are telling us that we need more data on shorebird migration through the Caribbean, including which species pass through, how many individuals, the timing of each species’ migration, how long they stopover, where they go next, etc. The best way to get this local and regional data is through repeated counts!

Shorebird ID and FREE resources for the field

We know that Shorebirds can be tricky to identify, and some are especially difficult to tell apart. BirdsCaribbean is here to help you with some useful tools! We have a Shorebird Poster and “Quick ID Guide” to get you started as well as handy Shorebird ID cards that you can download and print featuring common shorebirds of the Caribbean.

Shorebird identification can be tricky but with practice and our ‘Quick ID Guide’ it gets easier. (Photo by Kristy Shortte)

You can also brush up on your CWC survey skills, waterbird ID, and shorebird ID before you go out on your surveys by watching our fantastic CWC and Shorebird ID webinars on YouTube. Go to our shorebird resources page to find everything you need. Of course, don’t forget to take your favorite bird ID guide with you when you do your shorebird counts (Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele et al is a great bird field guide for the region!).

We also have a list of some best practice tips to help make your count go as smoothly as possible. You can download and share this infographic with your fellow birders. When you go out on your survey, a spotting scope or a camera with a good zoom lens, as well as binoculars, will make for very helpful tools. They will help you get a closer look to pick out the identifying features of the birds, without disturbing them. Photos can be looked at and shared later if you have any birds that were difficult for you to identify in the field. Birding colleagues and experts can explain further if they have visual evidence of the bird! (Did we say some are quite tricky to tell apart?)

Promotional graphic templates – feel free to modify for your counts

Promotional Graphics for World Shorebirds Day 2023 are available in English, Spanish and French. We also have ‘Global Shorebird Count Tips’ graphic formatted for Facebook or Instagram . You can add your own logos or event information. Click on each image in the gallery below to enlarge then right click on an enlarged image and ‘save image as’ to download. You can also use these links to Canva to use our promotional graphics as a template (each link contains graphics in all three languages):

Facebook graphic and survey tips as a Canva template

Instagram graphic and survey Canva template

World Shorebirds Day and the Global Shorebird Count 2023 promo graphic

World-Shorebirds-Day-2023-Promo-Graphic-IG-French

World-Shorebirds-Day-2023-Promo-Graphic-IG-Spanish

World-Shorebirds-Day-2023-Tips-IG-English

What if you spot a banded bird?

While counting shorebirds you may see birds with colourful bands on their legs. Do your best to record the band colors and any numbers or letters paying special attention to the location of the band or bands on the bird’s legs. Binoculars or zoom photography may allow you to clearly see the band colors and the numbers engraved onto the band – if you get a photo you will be able to send it along with your sighting. Look out for bands especially on Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. You can report your sightings and send any photos you have to BandedBirds.org and the USGS Bird Banding Lab, which oversee all banding in the United States.

Keep a sharp eye out for Piping Plovers, including banded birds!

As we did for our 2023 Caribbean Waterbird Census, we ask you to keep a sharp eye out for Piping Plovers, a threatened migratory shorebird that spend the winter in the Caribbean—mainly in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Cuba, but they are also found in other islands. Learn all about the Piping Plover and access special resources here to help you find and identify this adorable shorebird.

There are several different projects banding Piping Plovers and if you see a banded Piping Plover you can report it to the correct person using the information below. This also provides a guide to reading the bands and the information that will be useful to send when you report a banded bird. The tips in this guide are useful for any banded birds you see, not just Piping Plovers! You can find out more about reporting banded Piping Plovers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here. This 1-page guide is available to download as a pdf here. We also have 2-page version with more information for you to use and share here. And a square infographic that you could share on social media here.

Share your shorebird stories

A Cuban birder selfie with their bike — A Cuban birder takes a selfie with his bike at the beach.

Tag us in your photos on social @birdscaribbean and let us know how your counts are going and what you’e finding!

Use the hashtags #ShowUpForShorebirds #WorldShorebirdsDay2023 #GlobalShorebirdCount2023 #CaribShorebirds #DoubleTheImpact

We love looking at photos of shorebirds, your local wetlands, and smiling faces. We will be excited to share your photos and findings on our Global Shorebird Day wrap-up blog! See our 2022 blog here.

More shorebird fun for children and adults

We’ve got books: Sami the Snowy Plover Stories of Survival , Color and Protect the Snowy Plover, Caribbean Waterbirds and more on our Shorebird Resources page, that both adults and children can use to learn more about shorebirds and waterbirds. If you prefer learning via video, head over to our YouTube channel and check out our shorebirds playlist.

If you’ve got little explorers, be sure to download the following activity* sheets and take them with you to the beach:

Beach Scavenger Hunt. This activity is suitable for children ages 4 to 7 years old. They are asked to find plants and animals at the beach.

Beach Bird Bingo. This activity is suitable for children ages 8 to 12 years old. They are asked to find items on the list four in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. They do not need to touch or collect any of the items on the list.

Talk about this with your children before beginning any of the activities. They should not touch or collect items on the lists. When observing birds they should speak softly. They do not need to get close to the birds but if they need to, ask them to do so slowly and quietly. You can check off the items (with a pencil or pen), as they are located. When everyone has had a chance to look for the items listed, come back together to chat about what they were able to find or see. For example, why is the bird’s beak long and straight?

*These activities were not designed to teach a child how to name and identify shorebirds but rather to give them space to explore and feel connected to their natural environment. Parents and guardians, you will not need to worry about your own knowledge of birds or plants. All you need to do is accompany and participate with your child in these activities.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about counting shorebirds: Alex Sansom: waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org

We hope you have a great Global Shorebird Count 2023!

February 27, 2021

Caribbean Waterbird Census 2021 – Keeping an Eye on Our Wetland Birds!

February 23, 2021

A Feathery Finale to the Caribbean Waterbird Census!

January 19, 2016

Caribbean Waterbird Census Reveals Important Sites for Waterbirds

Red Knot by John Webster. Red Knot in winter plumage in Barbados. This species has one of the longest migrations of any bird, traveling more than 9,000 mi (14,000 km) from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America each year. Some individuals use Caribbean wetlands as stopover sites on migration. — A juvenile Red Knot in Barbados (by John Webster). This species has one of the longest migrations of any bird, traveling more than 9,000 mi (14,000 km) from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America each year. Some individuals use Caribbean wetlands as stopover sites on migration.

One bird, two bird, three bird, four! Since 2010, hundreds of dedicated volunteers have been spreading out across the Caribbean’s vast wetlands, large and small, and counting birds for the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC). The goal is to learn more about the status of migratory and resident waterbirds and strengthen their conservation.

Waterbirds in the Caribbean, and the wetlands they depend on, are challenging to monitor. The Caribbean region is spread across 7,000 islands, islets, and cays and many wetlands are difficult to access. But our intrepid counters have braved gooey mud, marauding mosquitos, and sweltering heat to help us gather data of great importance to conservation.

Waterbirds are species that depend on aquatic habitats, like mangroves, salt ponds, tidal flats, lagoons, beaches, and freshwater marshes, to complete portions of their life cycle. Unfortunately, many species are in severe decline, particularly shorebirds. Semipalmated Sandpiper that once numbered over two million on Caribbean and South American wintering grounds have dropped by 80%. Another long-distance migrant shorebird, the Red Knot, is now listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act, having declined by 80% as well. The Zapata Rail, endemic to sawgrass habitat in the Zapata Swamp in southern Cuba, has not been seen with certainty in nearly 20 years.

Wetlands are important for birds and for our well being too. Not only do they provide a home for wildlife, they also provide people with clean water, protection from floods and erosion, and opportunities for recreation and wildlife viewing.

Reddish Egret (dark morph) in Cuba by Antonio Rodriguez. This medium sized heron has 2 color morphs, light and dark. It inhabits coastal wetlands in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles islands. It is known for its energetic feeding behavior, running, jumping, flying and open wing dancing in pursuit of small fish in shallow water.

For years wetlands have been destroyed for development, damaged by pollution, or threatened by tourism, agriculture, cattle, industry, or sea level rise. Because wetlands are vital to birds and people, it’s important to know where they are, what birds are living in them, and what times of year they are being used.

BirdsCaribbean is answering these questions through the CWC, a program that aims to increase support for waterbird and wetland conservation by training a cadre of people to observe and record birds in wetlands across the Caribbean. Natural resource agency staff and citizen scientist volunteers help answer important questions while gaining an understanding and appreciation of migratory birds and the wetlands that they live in.

Since the beginning of the program in 2010, over 200 people from 21 countries have surveyed more than 700 areas! Each year, more and more people take part in the CWC. We have learned a lot of cool stuff over the last six years!

For example, several places stand out for their high numbers of birds. Sur de Los Palacios, Cuba is important to Wilson’s Plover throughout the fall, winter, and spring. This medium-sized bird is on the 2014 State of the Birds Watchlist, which lists species most in danger of extinction without significant conservation action. Knowing where they spend much of their time can lead to increased conservation for these sites in Cuba. Monte Cristi in northwestern Dominican Republic has been discovered as an incredibly important site for many shorebird species throughout the migration and winter season. Counts in the fall are especially high for Greater Yellowlegs (870 individuals), Lesser Yellowlegs (3,250 individuals) and Semipalmated Sandpiper (3,150 individuals), all being the highest overall counts for the species throughout the Caribbean!

White-cheeked Pintails in flight by Ernesto Reyes. Wetlands in the Caribbean are very important to migratory ducks like Blue-winged Teal and Lesser Scaup, and resident ducks, such as the White-cheeked Pintails, shown here.

Shorebirds like these only weigh a couple ounces; the Semipalmated Sandpiper weighs in at just a smidge more than a quarter, and flies thousands of miles from it’s breeding grounds in the Arctic to it’s wintering grounds in South America. Knowing where this bird stops along the way is important so conservationists can protect the places it needs to rest and feed for their long journey.

Another indicator of importance is the diversity—or how many different kinds of birds—are observed. Two locations in Guadeloupe (Pointe des Chateaux and Petite-Terre) and one in Cuba (Sur de Los Palacios) had over ten different shorebirds counted and seven other sites, located in Guadeloupe, Grenada, DR, Bahamas, Cuba, and Grenada recorded 9, 8 or 7 shorebird species. Some sites in the Caribbean like Sur de Los Palacios in Cuba and Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic stand out for high numbers of all waterbirds, not just shorebirds. Of the 241 sites monitored in 2014 a total of 293 species were recorded!

What do all these numbers really mean? Knowing which birds are using what areas helps conservationists identify the most important sites to protect. Raising awareness, and showing the value of wetlands to local communities can lead to better care and protection of the wildlife using them. They become places to promote environmental education and bird and nature tourism. Enhancing key sites by installing boardwalks, viewing towers, and signs makes them attractive to visitors, which in turn increases their value for local people, livelihoods, and the economy.

Wilson’s Plover (female) at Mt Hartman wetland in Grenada by Gregg Homel. This handsome shorebird is found in coastal areas, including sandy beaches, mudflats and mangroves. It is resident and breeds on many Caribbean islands. <a href= — During winter, some birds migrate, but many travel only short distances. Wilson’s Plover (female) at Mt Hartman wetland in Grenada by Greg Homel. This handsome shorebird is found in coastal areas, including sandy beaches, mudflats and mangroves. It is resident and breeds on many Caribbean islands. During winter, some birds migrate, but many travel only short distances.

While participation in the CWC has increased every year and we have already learned a great deal from the counts, there is still much work to be done! With over 7,000 islands and islets in the Caribbean, many important sites have not yet been surveyed. In addition, it’s important to continue surveying the same sites over the long term in order to document changes in waterbird numbers in relation to changing environmental conditions, for example, under climate change. Finally, we must continue to raise awareness about the importance and value of these sites to birds and people and promote protection and good management. Doing so will ensure that these critical wetlands are not lost forever; and birds and people will have a place to thrive.

To find out how to participate in the CWC, click here.

A report on the first 5 years of the CWC can be downloaded here (PDF).

Why should you #ShowUpForShorebirds?

We can’t do it alone

Where to find shorebirds?

How to participate in the count

Shorebird ID and FREE resources for the field

Promotional graphic templates – feel free to modify for your counts

What if you spot a banded bird?

Keep a sharp eye out for Piping Plovers, including banded birds!

Share your shorebird stories

More shorebird fun for children and adults

Birders across our region took part in CWC 2021 (click to enlarge photos)

EAG’s Mask-erade Competition for the 2021 CWC – click to enlarge photos

More photos from our partners during CWC 2021 – ENJOY!

Enjoy this video of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks seen on Antoine Lake, Grenada

Some birders posted about their CWC surveys on instagram

More fund photos from EAG’s ‘bird Mask-Erade’ (click on the photos below to see the them larger in a gallery).