Montserrat Ridge to Reef Project

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1 Montserrat Ridge to Reef Project Susan Robertson January 2016

2 CONTENTS 1. Latest news 2. Story of the Month 3. Educational & Community Projects 4. Survey Update 5. Scholarship News 6. Creature of the month

PROJECT AIM The Montserrat Ridge to Reef Conservation Project (MRRCP) is a collaborative project to support the sustainable use of Montserrat s natural resources.

3 PROJECT AIM The Montserrat Ridge to Reef Conservation Project (MRRCP) is a collaborative project to support the sustainable use of Montserrat s natural resources. The programme encompasses scientific surveys of coral reefs and other marine resources, as well as terrestrial species and habitats focussed primarily in the Centre Hills. The MRRCP provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Montserratians, as part of an integrated programme to develop local capacity and ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of natural resources throughout the country. Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) is working at the invitation of and in partnership with the Government of Montserrat and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Coral Cay Conservation provides the resources to help sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty through the protection, restoration and management of coral reefs and tropical forests.

LATEST NEWS Quite Month for CCC January is a quiet month for CCC staff because the site is closed to volunteers; this said the survey work still continues.

The limited numbers restricted us to mainly bird surveys which Tom and Susan continued on a daily basis.

Tom bird watching on Old Road Bay The busiest shorebird site continues to be Carr s Bay as it has been for the last few months.

4 LATEST NEWS Quite Month for CCC January is a quiet month for CCC staff because the site is closed to volunteers; this said the survey work still continues. Christmas chimed the end of contracts for several staff on site and left us with a skeleton crew of just three on the island to continue the work. The limited numbers restricted us to mainly bird surveys which Tom and Susan continued on a daily basis. As mentioned last month Tom is the new science officer on site and so this down time also gave us the opportunity to ensure Tom is fully trained prior to the new volunteers arriving in February. Tom bird watching on Old Road Bay The busiest shorebird site continues to be Carr s Bay as it has been for the last few months. Although new migrants are no longer appearing, we are regularly seeing a Belted Kingfisher, Little Blue Heron and still the juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron. Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron We have also been in discussion with the Department of Environment about a removal programme for an invasive plant which has started to take hold on the Blackwood Allen Trail. As well as being an invasive species Dumb Cane is also poisonous to animals and humans if consumed. We hope to start removal work soon. Dumb Cane

New Science Officer STORY OF THE MONTH As January ended new staff started to arrive with the first intake of volunteers for 2016.

5 New Science Officer STORY OF THE MONTH As January ended new staff started to arrive with the first intake of volunteers for Peta learnt to dive at a young age and has since developed a lifelong passion for the ocean and its conservation; an appetite she has indulged through involvement in numerous conservation projects including Coral Cay s Philippines expedition in Since then, Peta has graduated from Plymouth University in Marine Biology and Oceanography and has recently become an Open Water Scuba Instructor while working for a dive centre on the south coast of the UK. In addition to this, Peta has also become trained as a pool technician and a helicopter underwater escape training safety diver. She is looking forward to being a part of the Montserrat team and contributing to the brilliant work Coral Cay do. Peta at the Taj

EDUCATIONAL & COMMUNITY PROJECTS Sharks Invade the Library at Brades Our first library session of 2016 was also new SO Tom s first time delivering a presentation at the library, and things went well!

As usual the kids impressed us with their own range of knowledge of the topic.

6 EDUCATIONAL & COMMUNITY PROJECTS Sharks Invade the Library at Brades Our first library session of 2016 was also new SO Tom s first time delivering a presentation at the library, and things went well! The topic was animal defences, which the kids embraced with quite some enthusiasm we covered topics including spikes, running away, armour, size, camouflage and warning colours. As usual the kids impressed us with their own range of knowledge of the topic. Our craft session was nice and simple, just involving them drawing around some animal templates that had been cut out prior to the session and adding their own defence mechanisms as they wished some kids approached this with real creativity, resulting in phenomena such as snakes with 18 eyes, venomous spikes and the armour of an armadillo, and an unforgettable rat with long legs, vicious claws, and a mounted heavy machine gun. Osiris and his heavily-armed rat Picture: Tom Weigall The second of our 2016 library workshops at Brades Public Library, covered the ever-popular topic of sharks. With Tom s previous experience studying them it was sure to be a topic with BITE! That said, his pictures and statistics didn t really seem to impress all the children. Fortunately the craft session was far more successful in getting them excited and we had some interesting sharks appear; many even had tongues! As ever, thanks to the staff at Brades Public Library for helping us run these sessions, ZJB radio for getting the word out and the kids themselves for turning up, along with the associated parents and guardians who are quite willing to lend hands sometimes! Keon with his shark minus any people. Picture: Tom Weigall

SURVEY UPDATE Survey background: The only comprehensive survey of Montserrat s coral reefs and other marine resources to date was carried out prior to the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano.

7 SURVEY UPDATE Survey background: The only comprehensive survey of Montserrat s coral reefs and other marine resources to date was carried out prior to the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano. CCC will be conducting enhanced Reef Check surveys around the island to provide an overview of the current status of the coral reefs of Montserrat and map marine habitats. Terrestrial survey work will build on research carried out during the Centre Hills Project ( ) and focus on three main areas: 1) mapping invasive plant species; 2) surveys of resident and migrant birds; 3) reptile and amphibian surveys. If you would like more information on our surveying please contact our Project Scientist. Marine Surveys With no volunteers on site we have had to put the marine surveys on hold but with plenty of marine volunteers arriving in March and April this will change and we will keep you updated with progress. Terrestrial Surveys With Tom the Science Officer and Susan the Project Scientist onsite, bird surveys continued and we completed a variety of forest trails and shorebird surveys. In total we completed 33 surveys during the month. We occasionally had our attempts thwarted by heavy rain but we are not easily deterred and both are used to living in the UK were the rain lasts for days! At a request from the Department of the Environment we have also started collecting data on the sightings of snakes and feral cats on the island. Obviously the cats can have a detrimental effect of the ecosystem by removing large numbers of birds which already have restricted space to flourish on Montserrat. The leeward racer is a snake we often see on the trails though not regularly on our reptile surveys so their numbers are not currently representative of the numbers we actually see. All sighting are allocated a GPS location a photo is taken if possible and for the snakes the weather conditions are recorded. Hopefully these data sets will prove useful going forward. Leeward Racer (Alsophis antillensis manselli) Scientific reports from all of CCC s sites around the world are available on our website at

8 SCHOLARSHIP NEWS Each month CCC offers Montserratian nationals who display an ambition to study and protect the vital natural ecosystems of Montserrat an opportunity to take part in one of our Conservation Scholarships. The programmes last for one month and involve training the student in SCUBA diving or jungle skills. They then take part in an intensive Skills Development Programme giving them the knowledge and expertise to conduct ecological surveys. If you would like to apply for the CCC Marine Conservation Scholarship programme or read more about it, please visit:

CREATURE OF THE MONTH Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) The fastest flying bird in the world is currently on Montserrat and individuals have been seen in the Belham Valley, on the Rendezvous Trail

9 CREATURE OF THE MONTH Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) The fastest flying bird in the world is currently on Montserrat and individuals have been seen in the Belham Valley, on the Rendezvous Trail and at Lookout. In a diving stoop these birds can reach speeds of up to 200mph so are the real speed freaks of the bird kingdom. These spectacular birds are a favorite with all staff and volunteers and one individual is often seeing hunting around the Taj. The peregrine falcon is best known for its preferred hunting method which involves catching birds during flight; an amazing sight if you are lucky enough to see it. They are often spotted sitting on a favorite high perch waiting for the right hunting opportunity.

Montserrat Ridge to Reef Project

Montserrat Ridge to Reef Project Rory Graham March 2016 CONTENTS 1. Latest news 2. Story of the Month 3. Educational & Community Projects 4. Survey Update 5. Scholarship News 6. Creature of the month PROJECT