BAP

Darwin Initiative Newsletter - Autumn, 2007

Sandy — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:01:51 +0000

Darwin Initiative Newsletter - Autumn 2007.

Table of Contents:
Welcome
Turtle tracks
Habitat mapping
Website launch
CaymanBiodiversity.com
Cayman Sage found
Competition entry form
The plant with no name

Kristan Godbeer

Sandy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:07:48 +0000

Research Officer - Terrestrial Ecology
Kristan is the other half of the terrestrial section. Though lured to the Cayman Islands by the endemic parrots, he has an avid interest in all natural history. Responsibilities include invasive species action and the monitoring of terrestrial protected areas and endangered species.

Email Kristan Godbeer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select name to view Staff Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Austin, Tim - Asst. Director-Research & Assessmt.
Bishop, Linda - Research Officer - Assessmt. & Compliance
Blagen, Henry - Marine Parks Officer (SIS)
Blumenthal, Janice - Research Officer
Bothwell, John - Research Officer
Buchanan, Maggie - Administrative & Finance Manager
Bush, Phil - Research Manager
DaCosta-Cottam, Mat - Sr. Research Officer, Terrestrial Ecology
Dougall, Ronnie - Marine Parks Officer
Ebanks-Petrie, Gina - Director
Edwards, Carl - Marine Enforcement Officer
Galvin, Tracy - Executive Officer I
Gibb, James - Research Officer
Godbeer, Kristan - Research Officer- Terrestrial Ecology
Henry-Ebanks Cheryl - Administrative Secretary
Hurlston, Lisa - Sustainable Development Coordinator

Jackson, Kevin - Technical Assistant II
Johnson, Bradley - Research Officer
Lawrence, Paul - Marine Support Supervisor
McCoy, Croy - Reserach Officer II
McLaughlin, L. Delwin - Technical Assistant II
Neale, Keith - Marine Works Supervisor
Nicholson, Clinton - Marine Enforcement Officer
Olynik, Jeremy - Special Projects Officer
Orr, Mark - Marine Enforcement Supervisor
Parsons, Gene - Sr. Research Officer
Slaybaugh, Scott - Asst. Director - Operations
Solomon, Joni - Research Officer II
Squire, James - Marine Enforcement Officer
Tibbetts, Erbin - Marine Enforcement Officer
Turpin, Stuart - Marine Enforcement Officer
Walton, Robert - Sister Islands Marine Parks Officer/Trainee

Stuart Turpin

Sandy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:59:41 +0000

Marine Enforcement Officer
Stuart is one of the Department’s Marine Enforcement Officers, and is based in Grand Cayman.

Email Stuart Turpin

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select name to view Staff Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Photo Credits

Sandy — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:42:33 +0000

Links

Sandy — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:42:09 +0000

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Exceptional website featuring detailed information, maps, photographs and audio recordings of US species- including many of our migratory birds.	View Site

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The RSPB is the UK’s largest conservation organization, and a partner in the Cayman Islands Darwin Initiative.	View Site

BirdLife World Birds Database The objective of this database is to link birdwatchers around the world. This is an opportunity for you to access a world of bird watching and to make your own observation available to birdwatchers and researchers around the world.	View Site

eBird International Bird Database A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds.	View Site

Local Daily Weather Local daily weather and 24 hour forecasts.	View Site

test gallery

admin — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:32:35 +0000

[Show as slideshow]

Organizations

admin — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 08:05:45 +0000

OTEP, the Overseas Territories Environment Programme, is a joint programme of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development to support the implementation of the Environment Charters and environmental management more generally in the UK Overseas Territories.

Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, June 1987), also known as the “Global Convention”.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or Bonn Convention)

Overseas Territories Environment Charters

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat

Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (SPAW).

Books

admin — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 01:31:50 +0000

	M. A. Brunt, J. E. Davies. The Cayman Islands Natural History and Biogeography, Published 1994 Kluwer Academic, ISBN 0792324625	Raffaele et al. 2003. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-08736-9
Prescott, Keith. Where to watch birds on Cayman Brac. National Trust for the Cayman Islands. ISBN 976-8104-99-6	Sibley, D.A. The Sibley Guide to Birds. National Audubon Society, USA. ISBN 976-8104-99-6	Bradley and Rey-Millet 1995. 1995. Birds of the Cayman Islands. ISBN 976-8052-10-4
Burton, F. (2007) Wild Trees in the Cayman Islands. 2nd Edition. Pub. International Reptile Conservation Foundation, USA. 240pp. ISBN 978-1-4276-2168-9	Bradley, P.E. 2006. A Checklist of Birds of the Cayman Islands. National Trust for the Cayman Islands / Department of Tourism.	Bradley, P. E. 2000. The Birds of the Cayman Islands: BOU checklist series 19. B.O.U. Tring, Herts., England. ISBN 0907446-23-X.
Cayman Islands Bird Card. National Trust for the Cayman Islands / Department of Environment / US Fish and Wildlife Service Winged Ambassadors Program.

Bird Watching

admin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:47:58 +0000

The Cayman Islands are a great place to watch birds.

In addition to boasting a variety of subspecies which are found nowhere else in the world, the Cayman Islands are located at an important intersection on the Atlantic Flyway, a migratory route traveled by millions of birds each year.

Bird watching is addictive, and a great way to get out and about and see more of the islands.

To see something of the diversity of our local birdlife, please visit our Virtual Bird Guide, which includes colour images and brief notes on all 222 species recorded in the Cayman Islands.

Bird Bands and Rings

admin — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:43:52 +0000

Many countries around the world operate bird-banding or ringing schemes. These schemes provide valuable information about wild birds, and what they do:

How long do birds live in the wild?
What are their habitat requirements?
Where do they go on migration?

Bird bands are metallic rings or coloured plastic bands. An individual bird may be fitted with more than one band on each leg. Each band may carry a code or reference number which will enable researchers to identify when and where the bird was originally captured.

Sometimes it is possible to read the band numbers of wild birds by using binoculars… though this will require a good eye and plenty of patience!

In most cases, bird bands will be found on dead birds, along a roadside, in a forest, or washed up on the shore. The information carried by the band is still just as important.

Make a note of the details on the bands, along with details of the date and location of your find, and forward them to the link below, the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. In return you should receive a certificate identifying your bird, and telling you how old you bird is and where it came from.

You may be surprised at the results - Click here to view a sample certificate:

To learn more about bird banding, or to report a bird band which you have found, click the USGS icon or call 1-800-327-BAND.