Protect Seabirds in the Caribbean

It’s our favorite time of year for seabirds! Starting in May, seabirds like terns and gulls return to the Grenadines islands by the thousands to meet their mate, build a nest, and continue the timeless ritual of raising the next generation.

If you’ve visited a busy seabird colony, you know the spectacular energy, not to mention noise and guano, that this flurry of activity brings. Our citizen-scientist Seabird Guardians get to experience the thrill of a seabird colony during their surveys. These volunteers travel, often over rough seas, to reach these remote island refuges and record what they find.

Fortunately, so far this year they have not observed any signs of poaching or fires, which has historically been an issue. The presence of the Guardians may be a deterrent. In addition, extensive outreach and actions like placing signs on Wildlife Reserves encourage nearby communities to change their practices. While seabirds are tough in some ways, surviving much that nature can dish at them, their few remaining nesting sites are fragile in the face of human impacts.  

We are working with partners to address some of these ongoing threats, such as introduced mammals like rats and goats, which can cause the loss of seabirds and sometimes entire colonies.

Thank you for your support of the Seabird Guardians; they will continue to be crucial eyes and ears as we build our conservation program, helping us understand the impact of our work on the birds they monitor.

Here’s to many more generations of wonderfully boisterous seabird colonies!

In Gratitude,

Natalia

Links:

• Learn more at EPIC's website.