As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Monday 27 May 2019

Endangered Bird Gains New Support in The Bahamas



Published by surfbirds on May 6, 2019 courtesy of American Bird Conservancysurfbirds archive
The Kirtland’s Warbler — one of the rarest nesting migratory songbirds in the United States and Canada — now has additional support, thanks to the establishment of an avian ecologist position geared to executing conservation activities on the bird’s wintering grounds in The Bahamas. Scientist Bradley Watson has been hired by the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) as part of the plan to keep the Kirtland’s Warbler population growing after its expected removal from the U.S. endangered species list this spring.
Watson, who is Bahamian, holds a Master of Science from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, along with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Charleston. Prior to accepting the new position, Watson worked with the Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation. He has contributed to multiple studies on terrestrial ecology, while his graduate research focused on carbon sequestration in prairie systems.
On the verge of extinction, the Kirtland’s Warbler numbered only 167 breeding pairs in 1987. Today, the population is approximately 2,300 breeding pairs, thanks to science-driven management by state, federal, and nongovernmental partners, supported by protection and funding through the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, the species will require long-term habitat management and ongoing support to continue to thrive after ESA protections are removed.

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