CUBA-GOING SOUTH

By Gary Markowski & Julie Craves

As we crept closer towards our destination, a small clearing on the edge of a lushly garnished footpath, Frank, our local birding guide, looked back at me and whispered “He’s here – I hear him singing!” I turned and signaled to the rest of our group to move quickly and quietly ahead. Within seconds of our arrival on the perimeter of the clearing, we were all treated to extraordinary views of the world’s smallest bird, the male Bee Hummingbird. The clean Caribbean sunlight electrified  the red, green, and various iridescent blues that all somehow manage to adorn this shimmering little package.  At approximately 2.5” in length, this little guy leaves a king sized impression. 

Shortly afterwards, the slightly larger and more subtly bedecked female perched above.  Gasps of delight and exuberant whispers could be heard, while irresistible urges to shout out loudly were squelched by a dozen bitten tongues.  In birding terms, the crowd went wild at having seen these birds with such relative ease.

Without admitting as much, many of our Cuba Bird Study Program participants are motivated to come to Cuba in large part for the opportunity to see this bird, as well as a handful of compelling endemics.  In the 8 years that we have offered these programs, we have had probably a 90 percent success ratio in seeing the fabled ‘zunzuncito’, as the bird is locally known. Whether they are lucky or not in this regard, birders in Cuba soon realize how much more, both in terms of birds and other fascinating features, is there to be experienced. 

Shrouded in mystery and politically influenced misinformation, Cuba is an enigma. Scientifically speaking (despite being arguably the most bio-diverse nation in the region), from a U.S. perspective, Cuba is a biological black hole.  Our largest and closest Caribbean neighbor is home to at least 21 bird species found no place else in the world. Some, like the Bee Hummingbird, are particularly special. The Zapata Rail, has never been photographed, and even among Cuba’s top field ornithologists, has rarely been seen. The Zapata Sparrow is the only sparrow endemic to the West Indies. The Cuban Tody, and Cuban Trogon are simply gorgeous, and the ethereal, sweet song of the Cuban Solitaire is as unmistakable as it is unforgettable.  Nine endemic species are endangered. In addition, a dozen or so endemic subspecies have the potential for full species status.  This high level of endemism alone signifies Cuba as a globally important place for birds.  

With Cuba representing 50% of the entire West Indian land mass, it is also one of the most important wintering and stopover sites for North American migrant birds. Well over 100 North American nesting species winter or pass through Cuba (see table).  Nineteen species of passerines are considered common wintering residents. All but three of the eastern wood warblers have been recorded in Cuba, and Cuba was the only known wintering location for the extinct Bachman’s Warbler.

We know so little because U.S. policy towards Cuba creates restrictions for American researchers and complications for funding organizations wishing to do work in Cuba.  The 

revolution in 1959 that brought Fidel Castro into power marked the end of U.S.-Cuban relations.  The embargo restricts both direct trade with Cuba and penalizes other countries that trade with the U.S. if they also trade with Cuba. Travel to Cuba by Americans is tightly controlled. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union (Cuba’s main trading partner) in 1989, the Cuban economy went into a tailspin and citizens have since endured the “Special Period” of extreme austerity.

As a result, Cuban ornithologists struggle to work with few resources.  Vehicles and fuel for transportation to field sites are limited.  Basic essential field equipment is scarce.  This includes guidebooks, binoculars, spotting scopes, mist nets and other bird banding gear, cameras, tape recorders, and even flashlights and batteries.  Research is further handicapped by a shortage of computers, restricted Internet access, difficulty in obtaining the latest literature, and impaired communication with professional allies in other countries.  Cuba has set aside many preserves, yet does not have the manpower or resources to adequately protect and study them.  

Frank, our local guide in the Zapata region, is the Vice Director of Montemar National Park, in the Zapata Peninsula, Cuba’s most important birding region (4520 sq. kilometers, home to more than 160 species of birds). Frank is a life-long resident of the area, and hands down is the best among a handful of very talented local bird guides. As talented as he is, Frank, like most Cuban ornithologists, is almost entirely dependent on foreign assistance for all that is necessary for him to do his job. By providing sorely needed resources (such as those mentioned above), and through building trusting relationships in the field, The Cuba Bird Study Program has created  opportunities for cooperative research at basic levels and beyond. Scores of both professional and amateur birders from the U.S. have contributed greatly to this project since 1996. Our involvement over the years has helped raise the level of awareness both in Cuba and in the U.S. with respect to migrant, as well as endemic species.

Sadly, one conclusion that we have consistently heard repeated recently is that North American migrants are disappearing. What is happening to North American migrant birds wintering in Cuba?  What habitats do they use?  What are the population trends?  How do they interact with resident birds?  What is the status of Cuba’s rare endemic species?  These excellent and critical questions go largely unanswered.  

The conservation of Neotropical migrants – birds that breed in North America and winter in the tropics –  has come into sharp focus in recent years.  Long-term population declines have been detected in many species, but their complex annual cycle makes determining causes and cures very difficult.  Clear understanding of the distribution, ecology, and status of these species is essential, yet there is a 44,000 square mile gap in our knowledge – a hole the size and shape of our largest Caribbean neighbor, Cuba.

The following species primarily nest in North America and are considered common in Cuba winter (species that also have a nesting population in Cuba have been excluded).  Many more species are less common winter residents.  Status from “A Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba” by O. Garrido and A. Kirkconnell, 2000. 

http://www.aaas.org/communications/cuba.htm

IBA ANNOUNCEMENT

by Scott Wilbor

Program Announces New IBAs & Applauds IBA Science Teams in Action!

Scott Wilbor, Arizona Important Bird Areas Coordinator/Conservation Biologist, Tucson Audubon Society

Arizona’s Important Bird Area (IBA) Scientific Review Committee of 14 biologists and ornithologists met April 18 at the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge* to review IBA nominations submitted last fall and winter. Five new IBAs were approved as “Identified” Arizona Important Bird Areas, they are:

1. Upper Little Colorado River Watershed

2. Marble Canyon (where the condors are making home!)

3. Chiricahua Mountains

4. Santa Rita Mountains

5. Sycamore Canyon (southern Arizona)

Particularly notable was the nomination and avian information compiled for the Upper Little Colorado Watershed IBA. The data gathered by White Mountain Audubon members Lorraine Wiesen and Jimmy Videle were outstanding and provided the first ever comprehensive avian catalog of bird species and their numbers for five major sections of this approximately 60 mile long IBA! They used sources like the Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas, Forest Service surveys, Endangered Species surveys, Heritage Grant surveys, Bald Eagle surveys, Christmas Bird Counts, the North American Migration Count, and their own Audubon chapter and personal field surveys to put together their most comprehensive IBA nomination. 

So what did they find? Highlights from their data summary include: 24 Bald Eagles, 6 Ospreys, 7 Northern Goshawks, 2 Peregrine Falcons, 10 Mexican Spotted Owls, 16 Red-naped Sapsuckers, 16 Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (!), 19 Cordilleran Flycatchers, 65 Pinyon Jays, 5 Gray Catbirds, 31 Virginia’s Warblers, 14 MacGillivray’s Warblers, 13 Red-faced Warblers, not to mention rare occurrences of Mountain Plovers, American Dippers, Veerys, Sage Thrashers, American Redstarts, and Pine Grosbeaks. Their research covered from 1976 to 2002, but primarily the 1990s to present (numbers are the maximum observed per season). They documented a total of 255 species, of which 134 are known to breed in the watershed! Wow, what a real gem of important avian habitat that up to now was never fully documented! Great job Lorraine and Jimmy! Now the hard news, there are planned developments (housing/recreational facilities) along the lower sections of this IBA, and thus far appeals by White Mountain Audubon to the State Land Trust ad Apache County Planning and Zoning have not protected this important habitat (your voice for protecting this area is needed!). Contact: Lorraine Wiesen (928-337-2466) or Sue Sitko (928-368-6832).

Now for an update on our IBA Avian Science Initiative. IBA Science Teams are collecting avian inventory data for IBA site recognition and conservation planning.  A Sonoran Audubon Society IBA Team partnering with the Bureau of Land Management at Agua Fria National Monument (north of Phoenix) is now conducting its second year of surveys. In the Verde Valley, Doug Van Gausig of Northern Arizona Audubon Society, leads survey efforts at the Tuzigoot IBA complex near Cottonwood. On Oak Creek, Roger Radd, of Northern Arizona Audubon, conducts surveys for the IBA Program at Page Springs Fish Hatchery IBA, as well as on private land along Oak Creek. Our Oak Creek surveys are part of our efforts to document bird species and numbers to identify a future larger Lower Oak Creek IBA, and gain coordinated protection and management from all who own or manage land along this stretch. At Tuzigoot and Oak Creek additional citizen-science volunteers are needed for water quality sampling and a nest box program respectively, as well as for additional bird surveys in this region. 

The Tubac & upland Tumacacori Team, comprised of Tucson Audubon members Sally Johnson and Norma Miller, have surveys underway along 2.4 and 1.1 km routes in riparian and bosque habitats of the Santa Cruz River. Our Tumacacori Team of Sue Carnahan and Curtis Smith have begun surveys along a 4 km route in riparian habitat along the Santa Cruz River.  Both these Santa Cruz teams are providing exceptional data that will be used for conservation planning for this critical stretch of the Santa Cruz, and to recognize the Santa Cruz riparian corridor as an International Continentally Important Bird Area of both Mexico and the U.S

Yes, there is plenty of need for your participation!  We need new IBA Teams to adopt and conduct bird and habitat surveys for the Salt-Gila River Ecosystem (west of Phoenix), the Gilbert Riparian Preserves, Sycamore/Slate & Tonto Creek areas (northeast of Phoenix), the Watson/Willow Lake IBA (Prescott), the Santa Cruz River, Cienega Creek, Sabino Creek, the Patagonia area, the Lower San Pedro, the White Mountains, and in Flagstaff. Although, the IBA Program is gathering this needed data statewide, we work hand in hand with the Conservation Chair or local IBA contact of each Audubon chapter to meet our common conservation goals!

Please give the Arizona IBA Program office at Tucson Audubon Society a call to set up your participation in an IBA Science Team (520-622-2230). Your help with our Avian Science Initiative will be used to put together great IBA nominations and data as was done for the Little Colorado River IBA. Most importantly, your participation will provide needed bird and habitat information that will help direct conservation efforts at these critical avian habitats! Finally, check our IBA web page now and especially in mid-August as we open up a third and final IBA nomination period for 2 ½ months (August to November). Look for a new, quick AZ IBA identification Nomination, as an easy way to help us identify sites, or use the complete AZ IBA Nomination, to help us compile a final “first-cut” of sites for our AZ IBA catalog (www.tucsonaudubon.org/azibaprogram). We hope to complete Arizona’s first Important Bird Areas publication and database in 2004! Use your birding skills (or other skills) to help us along the way!

* A special thank you to Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge staff. They manage an incredibly rich avian habitat, which will be reviewed for IBA status in the near future!