ARTICLES / DOCUMENTS

FAMILY ISLAND RESEARCH & EDUCATION

MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT 2005

As a lawyer I am naturally extremely excited to present the Bahamas Marine Mammal Protection Act. I guess it’s something that anyone engaged in sea or ocean activities of almost any kind should be acquainted with. I won’t pretend that it’s a riveting read, but of the 12 pages, one is blank and 2 can be skipped, so you’ve done 1/4 of it before you have even started… The provisions are self-evident common sense to anyone with the capacity for rational thought, but in case of doubt, here is chapter and verse.

MarineMammalProtectionAct_1

GLIMPSES OF LIFE ALONG A CORAL REEF by F. H. HERRICK

A naturalist’s account of his visit to Abaco in 1886, describing the landscape, flora, fauna of the main island and cays. Plenty for anyone interested in Abaco’s natural history to get their teeth into!

ABACO NATURAL HISTORY Popular Science Monthly Volume 32 January 1888

Not strictly an article or document, but this is an enjoyable school project promoted by the Audubon Society

So I’ve found a place for it here.

THE AUK

A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology

THE AUK is a quarterly journal published by the AOU specialising in promoting the scientific study of birds by means of original peer-reviewed reports. It has been in continuous publication since 1884, and can lay claim to be a (the?) foremost journal in its field. Here is the front page of the first volume of the journal

The 1905 Vol 22 No. 2 contains a 22 page study by Glover M Allen entitled SUMMER BIRDS IN THE BAHAMAS. The article was published at a time when ornithological survey of the Bahamas was in its infancy. Cory’s famous list of birds collected from the islands had been published a mere 15 years earlier. Allen details his time spent with 2 companions – much of it on Abaco – as they investigated birdlife and recorded their findings. That aspect comprises the first part of the article. The second part is equally fascinating: their list of bird species, with commentary, remarks and comparisons thrown in, together with some of the local names for the birds. Some of these are still in use, others perhaps long-forgotten. Is a Least Tern still known as a ‘Kill-’em-Polly’?

BAHAMAS BIRDS PAPER 1905

LIVING WITH WEST INDIAN WOODPECKERS

Here’s an article by Abaco Parrot expert Caroline Stahala. She also has in-depth knowledge of the habits of West Indian Woodpeckers, not least because her observations of the nesting in boxes provided for them last year at the DELPHI CLUB ABACO to discourage them from drilling into the building itself… See THE RELUCTANT WOODPECKER. Caroline’s article suggests helpful ways to co-exist with the ‘peckers. They are unlikely to change their endearing little, er, ‘pecker-dillos’, but there are ways and means to prevent them driving you crazy when they take a noisy liking to your eaves and guttering…

CLICK LINK===>>>LIVING WITH WEST INDIAN WOODPECKERS (Caroline Stahala)

CARIBBEAN PINE FOREST FIRE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Click on the title above for a 2004 report by Nature Conservancy – Global Fire Initiative entitled “Fire Management Assessment of the Caribbean Pine (Pinus caribea) Forest Ecosystems on Andros and Abaco Islands, Bahamas”. Although published a few years ago it gives an interesting overview of the problems arising from the perennial forest fires on Abaco and elsewhere. It’s not maybe something a layman would want to scrutinise in huge detail, but there are plenty of interesting sections and photographs of varied forest conditions to focus on.

AVIBASE CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF SOUTH ABACO

If you are staying at the Delphi Club, Rolling Harbour, you need this – and especially if you are planning a birding adventure with Ricky Johnson… Be prepared! The plan is that you can download it or print it out from here

SOUTH ABACO BIRD CHECKLIST click to open!

Here is an illustrative clip of one of the 6 pages

For access to photos of a great many of the birds listed, with clips of their calls and songs – use this direct link CLICK LOGO===>>>

CORNELL LABORATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY ANNUAL REPORT 2011

The Annual Report 2011 contains a huge variety of reports, project news, images, and references. The direct link to the specific Bahamas Birding page can be found under BLOGROLL links on the SIDEBAR. The Report is far wider-ranging. I post it in pdf form because anyone with an interest in birdlife is bound to find something worth following up, and you should be able to download it (if you try & it doesn’t work, can you let me know – comment box or email – and I’ll change the format)

CLICK CORNELL LABORATORY OF ORNITHOLOGY ANNUAL REPORT 2011

BAHAMAS HIGH COMMISSION FACT SHEET: FLORA AND FAUNA

Here is a 5 page Fact Sheet produced by the BHC with an overview of the flora and fauna of the Bahamas. Variations for particular islands are (mostly) given. It’s well worth a quick look, even if you already know a fair amount about the topic. There are bound to be a few factual nuggets you didn’t know or had forgotten. Click on the link below to open it

BHC FACT SHEET – FAUNA & FLORA

BAHAMAS MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION NEWSLETTER JULY 2011

The BMMRO, based at Sandy Point, Abaco, has published its latest newsletter: 4 pages of lavishly illustrated news and info about recent research and other cetacean-related matters. Thanks as ever to Charlotte Dunn for permission to link to / use material from the BMMRO website. To see the newsletter CLICK LINK===>>> BMMRO Newsletter_Jul11

If you want to immerse yourself in the extremely interesting details of past and ongoing research, with wonderful whale and dolphin photos and past sightings and stranding details, go to the main BMMRO website

CLICK LOGO===>>>