"What are you doing?" -Tobagan on the street
"I am looking for bird nests. I am a student and I study their parasites."-Me
"There are no birds down here, you need to go to the rainforest." -Tobagan
This is typically the conversation that Jordan (my field assistant) and I have with local Tobagans. We are working on the effects of Philornis nest flies on black-faced grassquits and tropical mockingbirds in Tobago. These birds nest primarily in the lowlands of Tobago (on the western side of the island).
The conversation above represents the perception that most people have about birds in the lowlands. Because the birds are not extravagant in color, they are "trash" birds (as we call them in the states). All parks in Tobago have groomed bushes (see picture). Unfortunately, the birds nest in these bushes.
We have already lost at least 20 nests from both species of birds from people disturbing or pulling out the nests. One key piece to studying birds here has been to talk with locals about the importance of their lowland birds. Hopefully they will take this with them....
