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TCI Seabirds

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Seabird monitoring & research activities in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Highlighting activities under a collaborative DPLUS project

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Today, with the assistance of Jedi charters (@jedichartersandkite) we released a young Audubon’s shearwater that lost its way last night and found itself in a hotel lobby! Thank-you to concerned staff who contacted us for advice.

At this time of year, shearwater chicks are taking to the skies for the very first time in the TCIs! This seabird leaves the safety of its nest under cover of darkness, a strategy that evolved to reduce risk of predation.

Unfortunately, like turtles, seabirds can be sensitive to light pollution in coastal areas. Seabirds use information in the skies (from the moon and stars) to help traverse the oceans, and can become easily disoriented from artificial light sources.

During nesting and fledging periods (peak in June-July), please consider keeping high-intensity light to a minimum on beach front properties at night. If possible, use sensors, timers and dimmers. If lights are needed, please chose lower intensity lighting or red lighting and point lights downward.

Please consider our seabirds and show seabird sense! 🙏 #seabirds #shearwaters #seabirdconservation #protectouroceans #showseabirdsense @rhiannoneaustin @decrtci @tcnationaltrust_ @tcreef_fund @birdlife.international @rspb @saeri_fi @the_sfs_tci @dutz_doodles @deepblue_tci @bigbluecollective @salterraresort @nautical_neil by @tciseabirds

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2 years ago

On some offshore islands in the Caicos Bank, our brown noddy (Anous stolidus) populations are approaching the end of their annual attempts to raise chicks! Interestingly, on other islands in both the Caicos and Turks Banks breeding has not yet started! We are now beginning our third year of the seabird project, and are observing some fascinating differences in breeding behaviour on different island groups, even within the same species! These birds do not like to make it easy for us to study and monitor them! More to follow this season :)…@tcnationaltrust_ @tcreef_fund , @rspb, @decrtci, @birdlife.americas @saeri_fi @deepblue_tci @bigbluecollective @jedichartersandkite @the_sfs_tci @rhiannoneaustin @birdscaribbean by @tciseabirds

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2 years ago

Days like today make it all worthwhile, saving the reef, saving birds, saving the world and all that, it can be a lot sometimes. But on a day like today everything makes sense. Thanks universe!! 🦅🪸🌎 #tciseabirds #tcreeffund #conservation by @tciseabirds

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2 years ago

Fun fact - seabirds don’t sweat like you and I. Instead they engage in a range of behaviours to keep cool. One is to open their bills and pant heavily, causing internal moisture to evaporate, thus moving heat from inside their bodies to outside which helps to reduce body temperature! (Brown noddy with nearly fledged chick!) #southerncays #caribseabirds @birdscaribbean @tcnationaltrust_ @jedicharters #bestmarinevertebratesoutthere @rhiannoneaustin by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

So many chicks and fledglings looking healthy and nearly ready to take off from the cays this weekend! (Cabot’s terns - adult with a crèche of young) #feelingproud #seabirdsaturday - Thanks to all involved in this ongoing massive effort to survey every seabird population in the TCIs! @tcnationaltrust_ @tcreef_fund @rspb @decrtci @birdlife.international @saeri_fi @jedicharters @bigbluecollective @deepblue_tci @the_sfs_tci @visittci @krossez_ @dutz_doodles @kajka @bnaqqi @philipshearer @katharinehart @watchmibgr8 @nature_of_ireland @briinaturally @blessed_rav24 @kaylamuw @kaliiiann @oceaniclee @octoshades @bigsouthbill @sailingnovavida @ella.willmott @tradewindcolours @rhiannoneaustin by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

Meet the Cabot’s tern (previously known as the sandwich tern), which nests in small numbers in TCI. This seabird is very often found in mixed, tightly clustered, groups with the larger royal tern (which can easily be distinguished from the Cabot’s tern by their chunky orange bill!). Both of these species nest near beaches where they are vulnerable to disturbance. Please keep an eye out for them and give them a wide birth when they are breeding! Check out the recent post on the TCI Government Facebook webpage for more info @decrtci @tcnationaltrust_ @tcreef_fund: https://www.facebook.com/100064496330139/posts/pfbid0q6C6iNMDvjGHe8JM9kkAg6MtiEfRMqbFm1pYtmPUhi3gUYevQ1NeiUghdM2KFwial/?app=fbl by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

Seabirds are are important parts of healthy marine ecosystems, yet many species are under threat due to human activity. Many of the seabird populations in tci nest on cays that are protected bird sanctuaries and national parks. Please be sensitive to these animals during this important stage of their annual cycle, and keep away from these areas. It is not permitted to land at many of these sites and seabirds can be highly sensitive to disturbance. Please help us protect them! @tcnationaltrust_ @tcreef_fund @decrtci @birdlife.americas @saeri_fi @rspb @deepblue_tci @bigbluecollective @jedikiteboarding @the_sfs_tci taken in Turks And Caicos by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

It’s hard to miss them, but in case you have, laughing gulls (some of TCI’s noisiest residents) arrived back on the islands a few months ago. They are now busily sat on their nests brooding eggs! This species lays between 1 to 4 eggs a season, usually between May and July. They breed in large numbers in TCI, particularly in the more remote area of Providenciales such as chalk sound. Laughing gulls are known for supplementing their marine diet by scavenging, and are believed to be growing in number in the Caribbean. Please watch where you step when out and about on beaches and cays this summer, as many nests and eggs are highly camouflaged and birds are sensitive to disturbance! #caribseabirds #seabirdsaturday @tcnationaltrust_ @rspb @tcreef_fund @saeri_fi @birdlife.americas @decrtci @jedikiteboarding @bigbluecollective @deepblue_tci @birdscaribbean taken in Providenciales, Turks And Caicos Islands by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

Phenomenal week surveying TCI’s Audubon shearwaters! These islands are home to notable numbers of highly elusive shearwaters that you wouldn’t know were here! They nest in caves and crevices in limestone rock that are difficult to access, and visit their colonies under cover of darkness. So lucky to be part of this incredibly hardworking, talented, dedicated team of field ecologists who worked tirelessly during both day and night surveys this week! @dutz_doodles @krossez_ #theflash_jblaise @iamkharmolah @the_sfs_tci @tcnationaltrust_ @decrtci @rhiannoneaustin (decr, rspb, tcnt, University of Liverpool). Thank-you!!! #theateam. A big thank-you to SFS South Caicos for hosting us! 🙏. photo credits: D.Prosper, R.Austin taken in Cockburn Harbour, Turks And Caicos Islands by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

Three long days surveying incubating shearwaters completed! Lots of plot marking, walking, peeking into crevices and acoustic playback has been achieved to survey the Audubon shearwater populations here in the Turks and Caicos islands! Night surveys start tonight! 😱 #thesecretlifeofshearwaters! #extremefieldwork #seabirds #caribseabirds #seabirdcensus2023 #teamcurrentlysleepinginprep @tcnationaltrust_ @decrtci @the_sfs_tci @rspb_love_nature @krossez_ @dutz_doodles #theflash! @rhiannoneaustin @birdscaribbean taken in Cockburn Harbour, Turks And Caicos Islands by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

Great time surveying the cays of the Turks bank last month. White-tailed tropicbird and Audubon’s shearwater breeding season is a go! All quiet on the tern, noddy and gull front so far out there…. @deepblue_tci @tcnationaltrust_ taken in Grand Turk, Turks And Caicos Islands by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago

Seabird breeding season has started! The first white-tailed tropicbirds are now back at their nests incubating eggs! Fabulous week of surveys on the cays of the Turks Bank this week! Thanks to @deepblue_tci for your involvement taken in Grand Turk, Turks And Caicos Islands by @tciseabirds

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3 years ago