Press Release

	Birding in Inagua takes off
	Gladstone Thurston
	07/20/2007

MATTHEW Town, Inagua - The rare Bahama parrots know how to flaunt their rights here. They invade and occupy this town of some 900 souls each summer taking up residence in the choicest guinep, sapodilla, and tamarind trees.

In a chatter of piercing shrieks and squeals, they so much do as they like, visitors often think they are domesticated.

At 5,000 strong, these flamboyant Amazona leucocephala bahamensis are fast becoming the star attraction to local and international birders in a show once dominated by the regal flamingo, the national bird of the Bahamas.

“They believe they own this town,” said Inaguan historian Vivian Moultrie, of the Ministry of Tourism’s ecotourism project. “We oblige them and pretty much let them do as they please.

“They are protected by the law and they seem to know it. There isn’t anything we can do but welcome them.”

Adorned in their characteristic green coat, blue wings, red neck and breast, and white crown, Bahama parrots are found only here and in Abaco where the population is said to be about 1,000 and threatened.

During this July 13-16 weekend, Inaguans hosted a group of specialty tour operators and birders from the United States as the Ministry of Tourism lays the ground work for showcasing the birds of Inagua in a big way.

In conjunction with the Bahamas National Trust and residents here, the Ministry is looking at ways in which the economy of Inagua can grow through tourism.

Two key objectives are to reduce outward migration through the creation of economic alternatives for local residents, and to raise awareness levels and stimulate visitor interest in Inagua.

“The people of Inagua have been very accommodating to all of us,” said Heather Buiwit of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. “The restaurants and the accommodations have been really, really great.

“There is definitely potential here. It’s a beautiful island with beautiful people. The birding has been quite good. My favourites are the Bahama parrot and the Bahama woodstar hummingbird.”

Other tour operators were Lori Gross of Creative Education, Annapolis, MD; Bob Schutsky of Bird Treks, Peach Bottom, PA; and Andrew Griswold of the Connecticut Audubon EcoTravel, Essex, CT. Sheila G Cox is the Ministry of Tourism’s general manager for ecotourism.

Covering nearly 700 square miles, Great Inagua, Little Inagua and two cays form the most southern tip of the islands of The Bahamas. They lie approximately 70 miles north of Hispaniola, between Cuba, 50 miles to the southwest, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, 30 miles due east.

Great Inagua where the capital Matthew Town, a port of entry, is situated lies almost in the Windward Passage, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the Western Hemisphere.

It is site of the 183,784-acre Inagua National Park home to the world’s largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos, numbering in the region of 70,000.

Experts estimate that more than 100 species of birds from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego seek out the sweet berries and cherries and the rich marine life that flourish in and around the Inaguas.

Brown pelicans, Tri-colored herons, Snowy egrets, Reddish egrets, Stripe-headed tanangers, Cormorants, Roseate spoonbills, American kestrels, Burrowing owls, Bahama pintails are but a sample of the Park's interior. Experts estimate that many millions pass through the Inaguas each year.

“Inagua has great potential,” said certified birding instructor Paul Dean. “Where Inagua is situated, because it is so far south almost on the ocean, we get a lot of seabirds coming in, some birds you never see anywhere else in The Bahamas.”

Birds are also drawn to Inagua by the abundance of brine shrimp Morton Salt seeds its 2,279-acre salt ponds with to control algae growth.

To replenish its salt ponds, the company pumps sea water into a portion of Lake Rosa bringing in with it marine life which over the years thrived in a new eco system that is renewed every time more sea water is pumped in.

“The brine shrimp feed on the algae and grow fat and the birds feed on the brine shrimp and grow fat,” said Moultrie. “The eco-system developed by pumping sea water into Lake Rosa positively impacted not only the flamingos but many other water birds like Roseate spoonbills, egrets – the millions of migratory birds that flock here, from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego.”

Certified birder, Henry Nixon, warden of the Inagua National Park insisted that all birds are “well protected” on Inagua. Visiting birders and conservationists “have been very impressed with what they have seen,” he added.

“It must be remembered that we have 70 to 80 of our species that stay here all year round,” he said.

One such is the sociable Bahama parrots, which are opening doors for Inaguans in tourism.

“Our parrots are smart,” said Moultrie. “You should see them eat. Utilising their beaks and claws, you would swear they were imitating us.”

“Not taking anything away from Abaco,” added Dean, “but, a challenge Abaconians have is showing off their parrots…After a long search, you may see one on top of a tree or two flying by.

“But, the parrots here act as if they are tamed. Where else in the world do you get this pleasure? I can look out my window here and see rare Bahama parrots eating guineps.”