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Monthly Archives: October 2014

Birdwatch: Storm Survivors

How did Gonzalo impact local birds? We have some general knowledge about how birds survive during hurricanes and other big storms, but we don’t actually have the data to know with any certainty how storms impact birds on St. Martin. Luckily, there are tools that can help us monitor our local bird populations throughout the …

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BirdWatch: Becoming a BirdSleuth

Learn a little bit about the BirdSleuth program, which recently held a training session in Nassau, Bahamas in order to kickstart this program throughout the Caribbean.

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Bird Watch: Bird Shots – Bio Boost

Here’s this week’s Bird Watch SXM column from the Weekender section of The Daily Herald. Check it out to learn how increasing your bird knowledge can improve your chances at getting great bird photos. I will be doing some bird education training this week, so we may not have updates on the blog during the …

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Sweet Spots: Salines d’Orient

Nestled between Le Galion and Orient Bay, this extensive wetland area features a large salt pond and many smaller ponds. There is no observation platform, but the mudflat areas can be accessed by foot. Just be very careful in the late winter and spring to avoid stepping on very camouflaged bird nests/eggs. This area is …

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Sweet Spots: Étang de la Baie Lucas

This really is the most scenic pond on the island, and now there’s an observation platform that makes it that much easier to enjoy. If you have a friend visiting the island and you don’t take them here, you aren’t doing your job and you’re not a good friend. Basically, this is a gorgeous spot …

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Migratory Bird Festival Preview Event 2014

We had an awesome time at the preview event for Migratory Bird Festival 2014. We did the portable pond activity, went birdwatching and planned a bit to make sure everything goes smoothly. Here are some photos from Jenn Yerkes and Tim Chin. You should definitely be there on Saturday! For more info about the event, …

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Sweet Spots: Étang de la Barrière

This is probably the best spot on the island for close-up shots of waterfowl. There is a 225 meter wooden boardwalk through the mangrove and a large section has a wall that acts as a bird blind. Regular foot traffic from birders and many other people also makes birds a bit less shy at this …

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Sweet Spots: Great Salt Pond

The Great Salt Pond is another huge pond on the island that has a rich historical heritage as a center of the salt industry. There are a number of areas to access this pond for birding, including the sand fill areas that ring much of the pond. Some of my favorite areas are in the …

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Sweet Spots: Salines de l’Aéroport

The airport pond in Grand Case has a lot going for it. Although large areas have been filled in, it is still a big pond with large mudflat areas and it attracts a lot of birds. One reason I love it so much is that it’s close to home for me. I can pop by …

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Bird Watch: Sweet Spots

This week in the Bird Watch SXM column we look at some of the top spots for photographing birds on the island. On the blog we’ll be looking at these featured spots in more detail, as well as some other top spots around the island that you won’t want to miss!

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