Seabird Study on St. Kitts and Nevis

2009-03-13 21:38:44 by

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC), has initiated preliminary seabird surveys. According to Katharine Lowrie, Field Research Manager Seabird Breeding Atlas, there is no data on how many seabirds in the Lesser Antilles or on which islands they nest. It is also not clear where they feed. Over the next two years they will be compiling a Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles.

Lowrie and her team will sail from St. Kitts and Nevis to the Grenadines in search of seabirds aboard their 75-year-old wooden Norwegian converted fishing boat, Lista Light. She explained, ?We will visit islands and cays that have not recently been surveyed for seabirds; sometimes not for decades. Using the latest survey techniques we will determine seabird population sizes. This will involve documenting seabird nests, eggs, chicks and adults. Of course, a seabird?s idea of a smart, comfy home is different from ours. They are often found under a cactus, dangling on a vertical cliff ledge or in thick acacia shrub; so our job will not always be that easy.?

The final Atlas will be available online through interactive maps and databases. The results will also be integrated into the Caribbean Waterbirds Conservation Plan being drafted by the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds.

For the complete news release, read about this positive and compelling project at SKNVibes.