Fourteen days in quick summation

I am back from the BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, and Conservian group expedition to the Bahamas. Now, the process of dissecting and understanding our data begins. Our field expedition was a tour around hundreds of islands in the Abacos from May 7-14 and in the Berry and Joulter Cays from May 14-21. I apologize for the lack of communication. We had very poor internet access and much work to do, so I decided to focus on the project and then inform you of our work when I returned home and had access to a keyboard, a desk, and a monitor that doesn't move with the Atlantic surge.

Our group of volunteers and scientists took thousands of photographs and searched dozens of islands for seabirds. We also collaborated with Conservian's coastal bird conservation team to eliminate Casuarina infestation on two important beaches for wintering Piping Plovers in the Berry and Joulter Cays. 

Here is a day-by-day summary of what happened:

May 7 - Will misses a flight but everyone else arrives safely in Marsh Harbour, Abaco.

May 8 - The team surveys miles of Abaco beaches near Little Harbour and Will joins the group about 20 hours later than planned.

May 9 - Seabird surveys find Tropicbirds and Terns on the islands near Little Harbour. Feeding Green Sea Turtles surround the S/V Avalon while she is docked in the fantastic harbor.

May 10 - Seabird team surveys Pelican Cays National Park for rats and seabirds and bands Tropicbirds at Tilloo Cay

May 11 - Installation of Nest Boxes for Tropicbirds at Little Harbour near the famous Pete's Pub and at Tilloo Cay on private land south of the Tilloo Cay National Park

May 12 - Surveys at Whale Cay north of Great Guana Cay find a large pre-nesting group of Roseate Terns and a similar group of Laughing Gulls. Posting of signs to protect Plovers near Green Turtle Cay.

May 13 - Boat arrives at Marsh Harbour in the evening

May 14 - Departure of week 1 field team and arrival of the team for the second week

May 15 - Sail from Abaco to the Berry Islands including a sighting of a Black-capped Petrel off the cost of Southern Abaco. Surveys at Petit Cays north of Great harbour Cay document a large population of Laughing Gulls with a few other birds. 

May 16 - Strong winds buffet the team, but we eliminate Casuarina infestation at Ambergris Cay and survey 5 islands in the Northern Berry Islands with hundreds of pairs of seabirds.

May 17 - Sailing to the southern Berry Islands, we visit the Fish Cays and Cockroach Cay and find hundreds of breeding Laughing Gulls and some potential Audubon's Shearwater habitat. 

May 18 - Paydirt - a beautiful colony of at least 1000 pairs of Sooty Terns remains at Bush Cay at the western edge of the Berry Islands. Rum cay has no breeding seabirds.

May 19 - Another day of beach surveys and Casuarina removal in the Joulter Cays. 

May 20 -Sailing from Andros to Nassau, S/V Avalon catches a magnificent Mahi Mahi and sees hundreds of feeding Audubon's Shearwaters and Brown Noddies just offshore of bustling New Providence Island. 

May 21 - A tired but excited team heads back to their homes 

Now the process of interpreting our data can begin. We need to compare our observations to those of previous scientists. We were unable to find accessible populations of Least, Royal, Sandwich, and Roseate Terns to band, so one of our objectives - to mark and recapture terns - will have to wait until next year. We did find a bustling population of Laughing Gulls and a tough population of tropicbirds holding on at Tilloo Cay and Little Harbour, and we have some hypotheses that need to be compared to the facts on the ground. But that is for future posting. 

Thank you to Captains Ray, Wade, and Clancy and to Chef Jenn of our chartered ship, the Avalon. Thanks to Margo Zdravkovic, Maureen Lilla, Tyler the Energizer Bunny and Master's Student at JMU, and Conservian for organizing the 4-week coastal bird cruise that made it possible for us to run our trip at a low price with good company. Thanks to Scott Johnson, David Clare, David Knowles, and Shelly Cant-Woodside of the Bahamas National Trust for helping us with logistics, planning, and execution of the trip. Thanks to trip sponsors including the donors to our experiment.com proposal and volunteers Soledad, Samantha, Sandy, Joshi, Meredith, Keith, Lillilan, Jennifer, Michael, and Lisa.  Without all these people, the trip would not have been possible.