Conferences are busy conglomerates of people. People looking for other people (“Have you seen So-and-So? I saw him/her a minute ago and now…”). People coming across old acquaintances, familiar or half-familiar faces (“Oh, where did we meet before? Was it in Boston/Sydney/Kuala Lumpur? Ten years ago? Really, so long!”) Some delegates are perched over their laptops, a slightly anxious frown on their faces, as they put the finishing touches to their presentations. Others might be in an intense conversation, crouched over Skype or cell phone. There is also, of course, a great deal of socializing over coffee, lunch and cocktails – half “talking shop,” half light conversation. The organizers are ever present, trying to keep all the delegates happy.
The BirdsCaribbean 20th International Meeting is currently taking place at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston. It is a long time (too long, perhaps!) since the regional non-profit conservation organization has gathered in Jamaica, but we are making up for it now with a tremendous burst of mental energy. The physical part would, perhaps, have started today with mid-conference field trips (and will undoubtedly end with dancing at the closing banquet, although sadly Scott Johnson, a Bahamian bundle of energy on the dance floor, is not with us this time and will be missed).
Here are a just a few highlights of the weekend of business and bustling at the Knutsford Court (where the service has been very pleasant and efficient, in my view).
The conch shell: I remember this from the meeting at St. George’s University in Grenada two years ago. Jennifer Wheeler inhales deeply and blows into a large conch shell to summon everyone to their respective sessions. People nearby have been known to spill their coffee, as the sound is a loud, commanding bellow.
Jamaica Day: Members of the public and the local media joined the delegates for a morning of fascinating international keynote speakers and a smorgasbord (I love that word) of offerings from Jamaica-based experts, ranging from the history of ornithology in Jamaica to plant diversity attracting birds in a Jamaican garden. The final panel discussion on conservation issues in Jamaica touched on the burning issues affecting our environment: primarily, the threat of development and bauxite mining in protected areas.
Diversity: There is much diversity in BirdsCaribbean, as elsewhere in the scientific community. The young and the not-quite-so-young of various ethnicities are all brought together by a passion for birds and conservation, and specifically in the Caribbean. English and Spanish are the main languages, with a splash of French and Dutch thrown in. There are participants from every island in the Caribbean, as well as the U.S., UK and at least one New Zealander this time! Plus plenty of women experts and researchers of all ages to balance out the men!
We have technology: Despite the poor Internet service at the hotel we are doing rather well overall. Local naturalist Wendy Lee was delighted to find her presentation recorded on Periscope by Executive Director Lisa Sorenson, who sat in the front row with her smartphone held high. I have been attempting to live tweet, although the connection has been “iffy.” Perhaps the most dazzling display of technology I have seen so far has been Jeff Gerbracht’s presentation, during which a glittering flow of migrating seabirds slipped from north to south and back again, with stopping-off points expanding like stars. Lovely!
The Cuban Effect: The group of Cuban participants has grown in numbers. There were a number of excellent Cuban presentations over the weekend – for example, Lourdes Mugica’s perspectives on migratory waterbirds. Lourdes, a professor at the University of Havana’s Department of Biology, has devoted her life to preserving the wetlands of Cuba. The participation of her colleagues indicates an impressive level of activity and research in the conservation field.
Books and more books: A range of great Caribbean birding books, including some recently published, have been selling steadily – including “The Endemic Birds of Cuba,” which was launched by author (and wonderful artist) Nils Navarro at the conference. The work was a real labor of love, which took nearly ten years to bring to fruition; but it was worth the wait. Another big seller is “A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica” by Dr. Anne Sutton. Both of them are gems – essential items for serious birders and painstakingly put together.
And selling like hot cakes: Conference T shirts in a range of brilliant colors (we all look gorgeous in them, and why be modest about it!) and BirdsCaribbean hats, which are really pretty cool.
Tomorrow (again) I am wishing I could divide myself in half and attend all the sessions – on fundraising for NGOs, restoring habitats, conservation gardening and bringing back our birds, among many other more specialist presentations on invasive species and our endangered waterbirds. However, I am not going to miss Pericles Maillis, Bahamas-based lawyer and conservationist, who will be talking on “Restoring Our Parts of Earth: For We Humans, For Birds and For All Life.”
That’s what it’s all about!
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