Education and training activities were an integral part of our project. Here we summarize the results of those activities which had the main goal of increasing awareness about Neotropical Migrant Birds in Belize and of increasing capacity in key research techniques such as bird banding.
WINTER ACTIVITIES
We reached 51 young Belizeans in our education activities during the winter months, which included a talk on bird migration to the Cornerstone Academy Environment group in Sarteneja (25 students) and a guided birdwatching walk with members of the same group (15 students). We also gave a ringing demonstration to the Eagles Environmental Club from Corozal College led by Graham Sampson (11 students). During a morning’s banding session, we initiated the students in bird identification and basic handling as well as providing explanations of ageing and sexing techniques.
Training activities included our participation as instructors on the University of Belize’s first Natural Resource Management field course organised by Dr Elma Kay. The course was based at Las Cuevas Research Station and for three days we worked intensively with a group of 8 students, covering general bird monitoring techniques through talks and carrying out two banding sessions where the students got hands on experience and grasped the basics of the technique.
As a means to diffuse our results, we participated in the 4th International Partners in Flight conference in McAllen, Texas from the 14th – 17th February 2008. Over 700 ornithologists and conservationists interested in bird migration attended the conference and it was a great opportunity to disseminate our initial results and promote Belize’s importance for migrants through a poster display.
SPRING TRAINING SESSIONS
The spring ringing season had a strong training component. We received 20 Belizeans for varied periods of time to learn how to catch and band birds, take a range of data and understand the applications of the data collected. Trainees varied from university students, to college students to Nature Reserve wardens. All of them showed great enthusiasm for learning and the training either complemented their already advanced knowledge on the local birds or initiated a strong interest in them to keep learning. This experience only served as an introduction to bird banding as the technique requires considerable time to master before the safety of the birds and the quality of data taken can be guaranteed.
Education activities during the spring were focused on the Migration Leaflet project. With a group of interested students from the Sarteneja Cornerstone Academy and their teacher Mr. Erlindo Novelo, we designed and carried out the leaflet project. This involved four field trips for bird identification in different habitats around Sarteneja and a couple of independent research sessions to find the information needed to construct the leaflet. The students took photos, identified birds and worked with our complete bird lists of the different habitats to determine which habitats were important to migrant birds around Sarteneja. The leaflet was presented and distributed by the students to all the community during the first week in June. Click here to download the leaflet in English and Spanish: migration-leaflet
Trainees that participated in spring training sessions in NE Belize.
BIRD BANDING WORKSHOP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE
In partnership with Dr. Elma Kay of the University of Belize, we held an intensive ten day bird ringing/banding workshop in September at the University’s Belmopan campus. The aim of the workshop was two-fold, first to increase capacity in ornithological research in Belize and secondly to create a focus for bird banding in Belize through the creation of the country’s first bird banding group. Ten students, including two who had received training under this project in March 2008, attended the workshop and now form the nucleus of the bird banding group.
The workshop was composed of nine mornings in the field, during which participants captured, handled and processed 197 birds of 36 species. Of note was the high number of Yellow Breasted Chats Icteria virens (32) and Empidonax flycatchers (14) captured, the latter providing an excellent opportunity to practice the complex set of measurements required to differentiate between species in this tricky genus. In addition, participants received a series of talks on ageing and sexing techniques, safety and ethics, project design, data management and data analysis.
In addition to ourselves, training was provided by experienced Belizean bird banders from Birds Without Borders and the Harpy Project at BFREE. Importantly, Birds Without Borders has agreed to support the bird ringing group during its first six months, to ensure that the learning process continues and that the group receives the supervision it needs in these early stages. Dr Elma Kay, who is committed to leading the group and becoming a trainer herself, had the opportunity during the course to practice her training skills.
With authorization from Idea Wild, who donated the equipment to our project, we passed a full set of banding equipment to the ringing group to enable them to continue practicing their skills and in time develop monitoring and conservation projects focusing on Belize’s diverse avifauna.
University of Belize Bird Banding Group
