BIMONTHLY BULLETIN of the CAYMAN ISLANDS DEPARTMENT of ENVIRONMENT TERRESTRIAL RESOURCES UNIT Flamingoes visit Cayman from the Yucatan
On Sunday October 26th, 5 American flamingoes (Phoenicopterus ruber) were reported dead in North Side of Grand Cayman. Conserva on Officers Ronnie Dougall and Maggie Baldino found the birds piled up on the side of the road on Sunday a ernoon. However, later that day a report came in from a concerned resident who had seen the dead flamingoes on the road spread approximately 40 yards (36-37 meters) apart while he was driving at around 6:30 am.
A weather system passed Grand Cayman that weekend and a detailed report from the Na onal Weather Service shows shi ing winds from Friday’s south to southwest (10 to 15 knots) to Sunday’s east to northeast winds (10 to 15 knots). The probable cause of death is thought to be collision with power cables as they were coming in to land at Malportas Pond in the dark. EDITOR: Jane Haakonsson All carcasses were inspected by the Dean of St. Ma hew’s School of Veterinary EMAIL: Medicine (SMU), Dr. Karen Rosenthal, and jane.haakonsson@ delivered to pathologist Dr. Veronica Boling gov.ky (SMU) for necropsy to determine the cause Department of of death. The necropsies were performed to Environment determine whether the birds were PO BOX 10202, electrocuted or died from impact with the 580 North Sound ground. 4 had broken necks and minor leg Rd. and wing injuries. The 5 dead flamingoes were brought to the DoE for ini al inspec on before GRAND CAYMAN KY1-1102 they were necropsied. TEL: (345) 949-8469 www.DoE.ky Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15
Dr. Veronica Boling writes on her findings: With the help of Chris ne Rose-Smyth we “We necropsied 5 flamingos and one Great traced the bird to be one of 500 individuals Blue heron [which had died in a similar that were tagged on Sept 7th, 2014 in the fashion in South Sound during the storm]. Angostura Island, in the Rio Lagartos Based on the history and gross lesions, all Biological Reserve, Yucatán, México! This birds had what is consistent with acute was iden fied by Dr. Leonardo Guerrero trauma (collision fractures from interac on who work for the very successful with power lines). Most fractures involved Group for the Conserva on of the the cervical vertebrae (broken necks). A few Caribbean Flamingo. had broken legs. They all had extensive bleeding (due to the fractures) as well as 9 flamingoes s ll reside in Malportas pond internal hemorrhage. There was no gross and at least 1 has been seen on Cayman evidence to support electrocu on. All birds Brac in the shallow seas offshore the were in excellent body condi on (healthy Southwest coast. The flamingoes are finding weights). Many of the trees in the area are suitable food seeing as they are regaining at the same level of the power lines. If their characteris c pink coloura on, display these birds were a emp ng to land feeding behaviour and remain in good (especially at night), it is possible they did condi on. How long they decide to stay is not see the power lines and crashed into unknown but we have more than enjoyed them, or were possibly blown into the their stay! power lines due to the winds. Regardless, the result was fatal.” Individual Where When
It seemed highly unlikely that an en re 1 pale juvenile Malportas Oct 8 2011 flock of flamingoes would be unlucky to (became pink) Pond to May 26 2012 collide with the power lines so Conserva on Officers Ronnie Dougall and Maggie Baldino 1 moderately Malportas Nov 13 to went to Malportas Pond that Sunday pink Pond Nov 17 a ernoon where 12 remaining flamingoes 2013 were seen. One of the birds carried two tags: the right leg a yellow PVC band with 1 very pink Barkers Sep 1 to the black inscrip on “DDVV” and the le Sep 2 2012 leg a small metal band.
Le : Flamingo on the Brac –by Isabelle Brown. Top right: Record of past flamingoes in Cayman. Bo om right: Flamingo in Malportas wearing two visual ID tags; right leg carries a yellow ID and the le a smaller metal band –by Denny Swaby.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 Power cables and bird fatalities
Within the last month, the TRU has received reports of injuries and mortali es caused by collision with power cables. The same weekend the flamingoes came to Cayman, a great blue heron (Andea herodias) was also found dead on the road in South Sound. On November 5th 2014 a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was called in and found to have high voltage wounds on the le wing and back.
Electrocu on from overhead medium voltage electricity transmission lines is a common cause of death to large and medium migra ng birds and raptors, even birds of starling size can be affected by badly designed power cables. Small distances between the lines as well as short upright insulators with short circuits pose great risk to raptors when perching or roos ng.
Collision with aerial wire (including for example telephone lines) can affect birds of any size. Studies in Europe have recorded casual es in excess of 500 per kilometer of power line per year (Birdlife Interna onal, 2007). This is especially the case when cables are neutral and hard to see which affect, in par cular, migra ng birds flying at 20m to 50m al tude (65-164 ). Aerial wires across routes of migra on or, for example, in between mountains cause higher rates of mortality due to collision.
Overhead power lines pose a third main risk to bird life; habitat loss. Arc c-breeding geese, for example, have been seen to avoid wintering areas with power lines nearby. While further research is s ll required, it is obvious that there is a great need for integra ng current electric grids (as well as planned ones) with conserva on Top: Raptors being electrocuted from perching on measures to reduce bird fatali es. power lines (D. Haas & M. Nipkow 2002). Bo om: Peregrine falcon at Island Vets where it was x- rayed and very well looked a er before handed over to TRU’s con nued care.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 Pu ng power lines underground is References: naturally the safest op on for resident and Bird Life Interna onal (2007) Posi on migra ng birdlife, however, it is far from a Statement on Birds and Power Lines. cost-efficient op on, especially considering h p://www.birdwatchireland.ie/ maintenance. LinkClick.aspx?file cket=zW0SnCk%2FRnI %3D&tabid=254 However, aerial wires can be greatly improved in terms of design, spacing and D. Haas & M. Nipkow (2002). Cau on insula on. Transforming wires from high Electrocu on – Suggested Prac ces for Bird risk power poles to poles with lower risk is Protec on on Power Lines. NABU, Birdlife something that is best achieved by Partner Germany (Ed.), Bonn. legisla ve ac on. Technical design guidelines for protec ng birds this way exist both in the Bonn Conven on 2002 as well as in the Bern Conven on 2004. In the mean me, coopera on with the local electric u lity company could be established to discuss poten al changes as well as funding for such projects.
Changes could include suspended insulators, insulated wires and insulated cross-arms, see below from Renewables Grid Ini a ve.
Technical designs reducing mortali es caused by power lines.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 Known but not Shown -by Wallace Pla s
Botanists have catalogued most of the wild The present ar cle is an a empt to plants in this country. The defini ve works catalogue these ‘missings’. Several have are Dr. George Proctor’s Flora of the already been reported, collected for the Cayman Islands, second edi on, and F.J. Na onal Herbarium, and noted for future Burton’s Threatened Plants of the Cayman edi ons. But all the ones we know will be Islands: The Red List. For the complete published here and now. More will be cita on of both books you may check the found as we explore. ’field guides’ sec on of my nature blog. We have omi ed some decora ve plants But a book is no sooner published than it is that may have been brought by people, out of date. It’s not a complaint, it’s a unless they have become completely ‘thank you’ because the books make it naturalized. easier for amateur and professional plant sleuths to develop their knowledge. In the Herewith, the incomplete list of plants that process they may find gaps or errors. are ‘Known But Not Shown’ – na ve plants that are known to exist in the wild on One such gap is the lis ngs for Cayman Cayman Brac, are credited to other Cayman Brac. Many plants that live here in the wild Islands in the reference books but are not are credited in the references for Grand credited to Cayman Brac in the Flora of the Cayman, Li le Cayman or both but not for Cayman Islands. Please click here for the Cayman Brac. These plants have been here list of 39 plants with loca on: all along but have been missed. And no wonder — this island has few resident h p://www.naturenotes19n79w.ky/wp- scien sts, is difficult for scien sts to get to content/uploads/Known%20But%20Not and expensive for them to stay. %20Shown%20(J%20Wallace%20Pla s).pdf
Jacquinia keyensis, also known as Washwood, is a small tree growing in coastal scrublands and thickets.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 This list will never be complete. Other na ve plants not in the book will be iden fied on Cayman Brac. Also, please note that some decora ve plants (Star-of- Bethlehem, for example) listed in Dr. Proctor’s Flora have not been included here (he lists it for Grand Cayman but not for the Brac where plan ng has made it common).
Field work has progressed as a team, but o en in two’s or three’s: Doug Ross, Doris Black, Edna Pla s, Lynn Ferguson-Sage, Kathleen Bodden-Harris, Pa Sowell and others have contributed, and especially Isabelle Brown. Assistance in plant iden fica on has come from the above plus Stuart Mailer, Fred Burton, Ann Stafford, Paul Watler, Lois Blumenthal, and the great Dr. Proctor in the early days.
Fewer than half these plants have been lodged with the Na onal Herbarium, so an error factor may exist. The author has tried to keep it to zero; he will lead any interested party to the sites. GPS readings have not been published for the sake of plant security as ripping plants from the bush has been a problem.
All photos have been taken on Cayman Brac by the author. Both the blog and the ar cle are the property of the author. Wri en permission is required for significant extracts.
Please note: From boyhood, every bird book or other reference had adjured me to take steps to preserve the natural world of which we are one part. You and I have not done enough. We are losing it — over- popula ng and overrunning the natural world shown in these photos. Can we work together to do more? It’s fun — our dry, limestone forest is astounding.
J. Wallace Pla s Oct. 5, ’14
Jacquinia keyensis, Cel s trinervia & Tephrosia cinerea.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 Green Iguana Steriliza on -by Eric Klaphake
Looking up at the male green iguana As luck would have it, on this par cular (Iguana iguana) high in the palm tree, one visit, he was joined by his colleague; Dr. Eric wondered whether this group of people Klaphake, associate veterinarian at the were going to be able to proceed with their Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado plan. Luckily, they had assistance from a Springs, CO. Dr. Klaphake is a rep le and number of savvy locals, who had captured a amphibian veterinary specialist who always green iguana or two from trees in the past. wanted to visit the Cayman Islands and see Soon the iguana was safely in the group’s the na ve blue iguanas (Cyclura lewisi) in possession, the last of 14 males caught over their natural habitat. So when he was asked a week’s me to provide enough numbers to tag along, he of course said yes, as he for proof of concept of their idea. viewed this as even more fun.
As readers know, the green iguana is NOT a Dr. Ma hew Johnston, Associate Professor na ve species to the islands. While many of Avian, Exo c, and Zoological Medicine at tourists love the novelty of seeing these Colorado State University College of amazing creatures; readers can well a est Veterinary Medicine was visi ng St. to the problems being caused to na ve Ma hew’s University College of Veterinary wildlife and plants; not to men on the Medicine to lecture to the students there. damage to their personal and business Dr. Karen Rosenthal, Dean of the Veterinary proper es. Plans on how to address this School and Professor of Exo c Animal issue humanely, financially, and prac cally, Medicine, had invited Dr. Johnston to is already an issue, especially given the lecture at the school. During Dr. Johnston’s latest island-wide popula on survey carried previous visits, he and Dr. Rosenthal had out by the TRU –es ma ng 62,090 green brainstormed ideas on how to control the iguanas on Grand Cayman. green iguana popula on.
The green iguana is a highly invasive exo c with poten al devasta ng effects to biodiversity.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 With invasive species elsewhere, including in order to provide easy iden fica on. The feral domes c cats, there is no one-size-fits- iguanas were then re-released where they all approach to such problems. Rather, the were captured, with the permission of the team addressing the issue needs several property owner. tools in their toolbox to tackle such a complex issue. In rep les, hemipenes are paired structures analogous to the penis of a mammal; however, an important dis nc on is that While humane killing of green iguanas may rep les do not use them for urina on, only be one such tool, that tool alone has not for breeding. This is also not a neuter or achieved success with other invasive castra on procedure. species. One of the ideas that Dr. Johnston and Dr. Rosenthal had discussed as an In order to consider using this method as alterna ve to killing was a method akin to one tool for controlling the green iguana the trap/neuter/release programs used to popula on, the following research control feral cat popula ons. A similar ques ons had to be asked and were during op on has been used on wild raccoons in this study met successfully: several American zoos and on wild hybridized Galapagos tortoises on their • Can the male green iguanas be na ve islands.1 The method involves successfully captured and iden fied?— preven ng males from breeding yes successfully while s ll maintaining their territorial defense and their desires to • Can the procedure be done quickly, breed. In the raccoons, the males are humanely, and inexpensively?—yes vasectomized. However, this is an invasive and expensive process. Instead, based upon • Can the procedure be performed on the Galapagos tortoise study, the male green iguanas by field biologists?—yes green iguanas had their hemipenes amputated, then they were visually marked
Dr. Johnston performing the amputa on procedure on a male green iguana.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 As men oned, the concern of the threat posed by green iguanas to na ve wildlife and ecosystems is great, but as the Cayman Islands formulates its plan to address the concern posed by this highly invasive species, at least one ny piece of this intricate and complex puzzle has begun to be explored.
Reference Rivera S., Divers S.J., Knafo S.E., et al. 2011, Sterilisa on of hybrid Galapagos tortoises (Geochelone nigra) for island restora on. Part 2: phallectomy of males under intrathecal anaesthesia with lidocaine. Vet Rec. 22;168(3):78.
TRU recently performed the first island- wide survey of the green iguana popula on on Grand Cayman. For more informa on on this survey and its findings, please visit: h p://www.cayman27.com.ky/ 2014/10/06/environment-break- surveying-green-iguanas
Probing for hemipenes to determine sex.
White-crowned pigeon nes ng in the Aviary.
Injec ng saline water to eject the hemipenes for amputa on.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 Nest monitoring on Cayman Brac
As men oned in the last issue of Flicker, the Isabelle Brown, a keen naturalist and Brac Cayman Islands have two resident breeding resident, and her friends have in their booby colonies, the regular monitoring of the booby nests, seen Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) in Cayman an increase in the number of birds choosing Brac and the Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) to nest on the beach rather than on the which inhabits the Booby Pond in Li le adequately protected bluff sides. This new Cayman. trend is a major concern for the conserva on of the species as it renders The Brown Booby displays elaborate adult birds, chicks and eggs much more courtship behaviour including pair flights, vulnerable to preda on. General passage of territorial displays and symbolic nest people will pose a threat to the birds as will building for 4-8 weeks to form or renew the feral cats and dogs. Rats have been shown pair bond. The peak nes ng periods may to cause significant decrease in booby depend on storm ac vity, this year for popula ons through the preda on of eggs. example they have started nes ng as early Rising development on the bluff sides with as October a er a quiet hurricane season. If inadequate set-backs and legal protec on adults loose a chick or an egg, repeated con nue to be an underlying poten ally nes ng may be seen up un l May. devasta ng threat to conserva on efforts.
Nes ng is generally confined to inaccessible We have no good guesses as to why the mari me cliffs: a simple scrape on bare birds seem to be preferring the beaches to rock, or a more elaborate collec on of the more tradi onal nest sites, so it is of seagrass. On Cayman Brac, two bluff sites paramount importance to con nue have been par cularly important: the monitoring the situa on carefully while eastern bluff and the southern bluff edge. implemen ng control methods for pests Since 2006, however, a few nests have been and predators alike. A big thank you from observed on the rocky shore and in the past the TRU to Isabelle and her friends for all few years nests have been observed even the excellent reports throughout the lower: on the beach. seasons!
Brown booby nes ng on the beach in Cayman Brac. Photo by Isabelle Brown.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15 KNOW YOUR NATIVES WILD FIG
All three Cayman Islands are home to two and inland thickets and can grow very fast na ve wild fig trees: Ficus aurea and Ficus in favourable condi ons at lower to middle citrifolia. F. aurea is more common and will eleva ons. It is well suited to challenging be the focus here, F. citrifolia looks similar rocky habitats; being stress-adapted makes to a Manchineel and is listed as endangered it very suitable for landscaping purposes – on the IUCN Red List. but make sure you leave enough space.
Wild fig is a characteris c plant with large The wild fig is famous for leading se lers to tangled and exposed roots and mul ple water as this deep-rooted plant searches trunks. The bark is smooth and pale and for groundwater. This is why old wells are common to most species within the genera o en seen very close to wild figs. Moraceae, the leaves contain milky white latex (sap) revealed when broken. Dispersal of this species happens through wild birds as the fig fruit is a very popular food source year round. Seeds dropped in branches of other trees can sprout and send aerial roots (beginning trunks) to the ground and eventually engulf the suppor ng tree completely!
Reaching a maximum height of 20 meters (65 .), this enormous tree inhabits coastal
Wild figs are very a rac ve to birds and the characteris c root system shows above ground.
Flicker Bulletin # 17 - DECEMBER / JANUARY 2014-15