By Natalia Collier | Program Director
Citizen scientist Vaughn Thomas recently completed a seabird survey in his handmade wooden boat, repaired after Hurricane Beryl struck the Grenadines in July, causing massive devastation that will require many years of recovery. At sea, Mr. Thomas can leave behind bleak hillsides of flattened or damaged homes and fallen trees. Here on the ocean he finds a lively flock of dozens of seabirds diving into a school of fish, their excited calls filling the air. At offshore islands he finds large groups of terns, gulls, boobies, and pelicans roosting on the rocks. It is scenes like these, demonstrating the resilience of nature, that offer hope amidst so much loss.
While seabirds have evolved with hurricanes as a part of the annual cycle of life, there were seabird deaths recorded after Beryl. Concerningly, the severity of storms is expected to increased with climate change. For now, we will continue to monitor these threatened populations and look forward to this coming spring, when we can assess if the nesting population has been impacted.
Thank you for making this valuable work possible. We would also like to express our gratitude to those who have supported the Grenadines Seabird Guardian citizen scientists with their hurricane recovery efforts.
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