Bird censusing on Martinique is in full swing

On Martinique, both professionals and volunteers are working together on point-count censusing (suivi temporel des oiseaux communs, STOC) in the field.

Training sessions aimed at the organisations involved took place at the start of the 2013 season. From 25th to 28th March, the member organisations of the STOC-Martinique group have benefited from modules, both theoretical and practical, given by the association ’Carouge’, the prime mover behind STOC-Martinique, and the LPO, thanks to co-funding from Europe and TEMEUM.

The main aim: to develop or perfect the participants’ ability to recognise birds by their songs and calls, as the majority of contacts are of birds heard rather than seen.

Since 30th March, fifteen professionals and volunteers (from PNRM, ONF, FREDON, ONCFS, Commune de St Anne, LPO, Le Carouge) have undertaken three separate sessions at 28 sites on the island (Caravelle, St Anne, Fort-de-France, etc.) with the aim of censusing resident breeding species.

The survey, repeated on an annual basis, will increase our knowledge of changes in bird populations, and alert managers to any fall in numbers that may occur.

Currently, mobilising more volunteers is a key task. An introduction to STOC techniques was organised for volunteers on 27th and 28th April. Around ten local people have already been motivated to become census team members (’stockeurs’) for 2014.

A promising outlook for the future...