Rats were one of the first species introduced (accidentally) to St. Martin by Europeans, perhaps even before the first French and Dutch settled here. They traveled the world and have caused trouble for native species everywhere they go, particularly islands. On St. Martin, we have two species, the black rat and the brown, or Norway rat. They are a threat […]

The green heron is not very green, but it is very smart. They are known to use bait when fishing, dropping an insect or some other small object onto the water to attract fish. The only local name I’ve seen for it is Gaulin, which looks like it could be French, but isn’t a word Google Translate recognizes. Anyone know the […]

When reading older research, it is surprising to see the number of birds that were not officially recorded on St. Martin until the late 20th century. In some cases, it may be related to hunting. Egrets were hunted worldwide to get fancy feathers for hats and such. As a result, my best source for historical local names for some birds […]