Seabird Nest Monitoring in the  Lesser Antilles

Partners: EPIC, Anguilla National Trust, Anguilla Ministry of the Environment, St. Martin Nature Reserve, Sint Maarten Nature Foundation, Saba Conservation Effort, St. Eustatius National Park, St. Kitts Department of Environment, Nevis Department of Environment, and Dominica Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Project Dates: December 2000 - Present. Long-term project.

Current Project Location: Anguilla, Dog Island, Prickly Pear, Anguillita, Scrub Island, St. Martin, Tintamarre, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Booby Island, Nevis, and Dominica.

Project Description: Census seabird colonies. Monitor nesting success. Chick provisioning studies. Record predation and disturbance events.

Focus Species: Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Masked Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-billed Tropicbird, Caribbean Brown Pelican, Audubon's Shearwater, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Least Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, and Brown Noddy.

Project Importance: Increase awareness of local breeding biology for  Caribbean seabird  species. Identify threats (development, predation) to seabird species. Work with local governmental and non-governmental organizations to create partnerships that will work together in the future to conserve the Caribbean seabird breeding community.

EPIC has posted our data on Lesser Antillean seabird colonies to the OBIS online database: http://seamap.env.duke.edu/datasets/detail/418

Important Bird Areas (IBA's)

Partners: EPIC and BirdLife International

Project Location:

Saba:  Saba Coastline - globally significant Red-billed Tropicbird population.

St. Eustatius:  Boven Sector - regionally significant Red-billed Tropicbird population.

St. Kitts: Southeast Peninsula - regionally significant Least Tern population

St. Maarten:  Ft. Amsterdam - regionally significant Brown Pelican population.

St. Maarten:  Pelikan Key - regionally significant Brown Pelican and Royal Tern

St. Martin:  Tintamarre Island – regionally significant Red-billed Tropicbird population.

St. Martin:  Grand Etang - regionally significant Least Tern population

Project Importance: As part of a global initiative, Birdlife International contracted EPIC to identify potential Important Bird Areas (IBAs) for St. Kitts, Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/Martin.  For more information on IBAs, visit http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/sites/index.html .

Project Importance: By systematically documenting the breeding seabirds of the rapidly developing Lesser Antilles, we will create the first comprehensive regional perspective on seabird populations. Seabird atlases have proven to be effective tools for management around the world.  From Australia to Europe to North America, these documents provide a unique view of a region and a framework for integration of future studies.  A complete Atlas of the Lesser Antilles is essential for an effective regional preservation programs and the Caribbean Waterbirds Conservation Plan, which will be drafted by the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB).

Partners: EPIC, St. Martin Nature Reserve, and Karen Varnham.

Project Dates: May 2004 - Present; Long-term Project

Project Location: Tintamarre Island, St. Martin, French Antilles

Project Description: Eradicate invasive mammal species on Tintamarre, including rats.  Once invasive species are removed, undergo long-term monitoring.

Project Importance: Tintamarre is home to nesting seabird colonies of Red-billed Tropicbirds, Audubon's Shearwater, Bridled Tern, Brown Noddy, and Roseate Tern. Tintamarre may have been home to a substantial Audubon Shearwater population, but now numbers have dropped to two known nests. The removal of invasive mammal species will eliminate a huge threat to these seabird populations.