Windsor Research Centre Activities
General

Our activities here at Windsor are guided by our Mission Statement (which is centered around research in the natural sciences with particular reference to conservation of Cockpit Country ) and are further guided by an analysis of threats to Cockpit Country biodiversity carried out in 2003 using a planning methodology developed by The Nature Conservancy. <... Effective management of Cockpit Country and other conservation areas requires the ability to monitor and adapt management as necessary. Birds are one type of indicator that can be used to indicate forest health ((more details) Many of the characteristics of Jamaica's native birds are, however, unknown and it is apparent that rules developed for temperate areas (and migrants) cannot be reliably used for our sedentary bird populations (examples).

WRC has therefore initiated a programme (made possible through grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (this two-year programme has recently been completed -see final report) and The Nature Conservancy-Jamaica (one-year programme completed in October 2003) which has now been extended in time and space, and deepened by an additional education component with our recently-approved two-year grant from Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, which runs from September 2003 to September 2005. We have also received contributions from Bird Studies Canada and BirdLife Jamaica, with whom we continue to maintain a close working relationship, and are geared to begin participating in The Institute for Bird Populations' Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MoSI) neotropical migrant bird monitoring.
The project has four main components:

These gaps include information on the health of birds and how habitat quality affects an individual bird's physical condition, site fidelity, survival and reproduction. These parameters translate directly into the survival of the population and the species. Under this project we will assess physical condition and band birds for long-term, mark-recapture demographic and avian health studies at three permanent bird-banding stations, one at the organic farm of Windsor Great House (Site 1) and in an adjacent forested area (Site 2) and one along the Barbecue Bottom Road (Site 3). In Windsor, mist nets will be deployed over two consecutive mornings at each of the two sites per month (click here for schedule) to capture birds and assess their physical condition during important stages of their life cycle (i.e. breeding and non-breeding seasons, arrival and departure of Neotropical migrants). This netting regime is designed to minimize birds' learning and avoiding the nets. Nets will be deployed at Site 3 over two consecutive mornings once every three months (click here for schedule). All birds will be marked with uniquely numbered aluminum or stainless steel bands which will enable estimations of survival rates from long-term recapture data. All training and research will adhere to the internationally-recognized US and Canadian Bander's Code of Ethics. Trainees will be evaluated in their skills using the North American Banding Council's ÒTrainees Report CardÓ and by Jamaican Guidelines, once these are established.

This project will provide reliable information on Cockpit Country avifauna to conservation programmes such as TNC's Cockpit Country Parks in Peril project, which will incorporate this information into the CAP process. the establishment of permanent bird banding stations, (Appendix 2; see also Appendix 3). This training, which has been initiated (Appendix 4), will ensure the highest quality of data and enable comparison to other protected areas in Jamaica and in the wider Caribbean. Training also will focus on developing participants' skills as instructors in order to reduce dependence on overseas expert instructors. However, WRC will maintain a strong working relationship with Bird Studies Canada to assist with project oversight and to develop further exchanges with the international banding community (Appendix 5). The Jamaicans who will be trained under this project also will participate in a CAP seminar to promote a stronger working relationship between researchers, resource managers, and policy makers and ensure that field data are incorporated into the development and monitoring of strategies for Cockpit Country.
If you would like to receive training (see details of our first workshop) or participate regularly in the banding, please for arrangements. We also welcome all comments and queries from researchers, particularly in relation to the data we are collecting in our physical assessments of the birds.

Funding for the banding station is made possible through grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Nature Conservancy-Jamaica. We also would like to thank Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey for permission to band and conduct this research. Finally, we would like to thank Bird Studies Canada, BirdLife Jamaica, and especially Paul Prior and Keith Larson, for the training we have received here in Jamaica and in Canada. While you dig out from 4 feet of snow, Jamaica is keeping the birds warm! ...>