PHILIPSBURG:--- As part of Environmental Protection in the Caribbean's (EPIC) long-term songbird monitoring efforts on both the Dutch and French sides of St. Martin, researchers observed two species which are rare for the island, the Golden-winged Warbler and the Chestnut-sided Warbler. EPIC Senior Biologist Adam Brown stated that: "While carrying out surveys for songbirds below Pic Paradis, two EPIC researchers observed a small flock of migratory birds and among them detected both a Golden-winged Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler. The Golden-winged Warbler is just the second record of this migratory species for St. Martin, while the Chestnut-sided Warbler was the third record for the species on the island."
EPIC's annual island-wide research effort monitoring songbirds began in 2001, making it one of the longest ongoing songbird research efforts in the Caribbean. This year was very successful for the EPIC team as Foundation staff and volunteers were able to study hundreds of birds in the forests of the island. The team banded and released dozens of birds as well as carried out general surveys where all the birds encountered in the study site were counted. Brown noted that: "Unique to this year was the large number of hummingbirds in the forest, probably the largest number of hummingbirds EPIC has ever encountered at study sites on St. Martin. It has rained a lot over the past few months and this may have led to increased numbers of hummingbirds in some portions of the island due to the additional sources of food."
EPIC is planning to continue its songbird monitoring in 2014 as part of its wider effort to understand bird populations on St. Martin and the factors which affect them. For more information and to download reports on the birds of St. Martin, please visit EPIC's webpage www.epicislands.org or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/epicislands.