as seen in...
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Summer 2003--Intern Helps Out Mandy Click here to
read how this webpage helps rescue Tropicbird Gilligan March 2002--Paula Litzel, Evette Peterson and local bird expert Mandy McGehee were all smiles when they returned from a morning of birding in early March. They discovered the first Red-billed Tropicbird chick return since their work began 5 years ago. After many a dawn start, hair raising cliff walking, bird bites and twisted ankles, the team feels rewarded for their efforts with what may be scientific proof of McGehee's original hypotheses. By banding the birds, marking nest sites and recording all hatchlings, McGehee has collected years of data waiting for this day of proof. Her study shows that Red-billed Tropicbirds leave the nest at the young age of 85 days and go off to sea for 4-5 years and they do not land except to rest on the ocean surface. At this mature age, they return to their original nesting area, perhaps thousands of miles from their travel, to mate and lay their eggs. On February 27, 2002, the first verified chick return #744-73224 was found in a new nest site only a few meters from where he/she was hatched almost 5 years ago. A second returning chick, hatched in early 1998 was found two weeks later. McGehee is also looking to ascertain if the Red-billed Tropicbird mates for life. Saba's dramatic cliffsides and lack of coastal development make Saba not only a great place to study this bird but a key nesting area to keep the species from becoming endangered. Below is more information about Saba's bird population and photos of the tropicbirds.
In Summer 2001, with the help of local volunteers and support of the Saba Government, ICE launched the Feral Cat Control Project. Starting with local education and awareness, pet cats were given break-away collars with small bells to identify them as pets and to help prevent hunting of indigenous creatures. Stray cats are trapped in harmless "Have a Hart" traps and set up for adoption; ill cats will be humanely euthanised. The long-term goal is to keep Saba's cat population under control so that birds, iguanas and other creatures are not negatively impacted as well as keeping Saba disease free. Stay tuned for more details of tropicbirds. For now, enjoy some photos...
This page last updated 11/23/07 from our Windwardside office |
Eighty
seven (87) different birds have been sited on Saba. Although more
than half those recorded are considered non-breeding visitors or
migrants, Saba provides interesting bird watching. Saba's former resident
"birder" is Mrs. Martha "Mandy" Walsh-McGehee. A
Guide to the Birds of Saba is her work in progress--click here for a
list of the 
Saba is a key research area for
Tropicbirds. Saba
is home to both the White-tailed Tropicbird, Phaelthon lepturus, and the
Red-billed Tropic bird, P. aethereus. With its fondness for
inaccessible cliff-side dwellings coupled with the destruction of
habitat in other areas, there is little scientific research on these
birds. However, on Saba, nesting sites are found on a sloping
hillside just east of the Fort Bay Harbor. At this writing,
Mandy's one hectare research site has 53 nests. Bi-weekly
monitoring for new eggs, newly hatched chicks and the marking of returning
adults takes a minimum 3-man team. Sound interesting? 
Mandy is a known environmentalist in the Caribbean.
Her foundation Island Conservation Efforts (ICE) has tackled projects
both above and below the surface. An active diver as well, Mandy's
ICE foundation provided the funding to initiate the
installation of moorings in St. Croix and St. Lucia. She and
husband Don met on Sea Saba's dive boat. Together they have been
involved in squid research, diving with and videoing whale sharks and most recently a
trip to Antarctica studying penguins. 
