By Natalia Collier | Executive Director
Volunteer Patrol members have been out at sea, working to protect critical seabird nesting areas and recording data on populations. With the start of the summer nesting season, there's always the possibility of making new discoveries and this year is no exception.
Vazie Williams is a fisherman from the island of Bequia who has attended our training programs and is an enthusiastic member of the Volunteer Patrol. This year he was surprised to discover that Magnificent Frigatebirds had begun nesting on one of the larger islands he regularly visits. While previous surveys showed large numbers of Frigatebirds roosting (or resting) on the island, nesting has not been recorded by our researchers or Patrol members over the past decade. Discoveries such as this give us hope for the future and reinforces the value of the work of Patrol Members.
Frigatebirds have been called “the pirates of the sea” since they are able to steal food from other birds. With their light bodies and long wings, they are nimble in the skies. Amazingly, the feathers of these seabirds are not waterproof so they never land on the water. They must pick their food, like flying fish and squid, from the water's surface without getting wet.
Males have a remarkable red pouch on their throats which they inflate to impress the females. The males help with building the nest and caring for the chick for a few months. After that, the female is on her own; Frigatebirds may care for their young for up to a year so that’s no small task!
Our team will get a series of population counts for this Frigatebird colony, and then enter the data into regional and global databases to help conservationists better understand Frigatebird populations. Locally, we’ll continue working to learn about and protect this and other nesting areas.
Your contribution helps us to ensure that Frigatebirds and other seabirds will continue to grace Caribbean skies for many generations to come. We are so close to our fundraising goal for this season; thank you to all that contributed thus far, please help us reach our goal if you have not given this year!
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