White-tailed Tropicbirds are a rare and thrilling sighting off the cliffs at the St. Croix Avian Sanctuary. These birds can typically only be seen on pelagic trips far out at sea, but some nest on the cliffs of St. Croix. When landing, Tropicbirds must make numerous attempts before settling on the cliffs where they nest, as “their legs are far back on their bodies and don’t allow them to perch.”* | Photo courtesy of Randy Freeman.
* A Fisherman’s Guide to the US Virgins Islands: Seabirds; https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/coris/library/NOAA/CRCP/project/10037/fisherman_guide_usvi_seabirds_english.pdf
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Island Hopping: Birding the U.S. Virgin Islands Part 1: St. Croix — A Birding Sweet Spot, by Robbie Lisa Freeman
BIRDS OF THE SEASON—August 2021, by Jon Fisher
OUTDOOR EDUCATION: What If We Had a Field Trip & Nobody Could Attend, by Cindy Hardin
INTERPRETING NATURE — Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program Research Projects, 2020–2021, by Stacey Vigallon & Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program Interns
FROM OUR READERS:
Michael H. Lester, Long Live the Queen & The Circus is in Town
Rose White, The Inception of My Grand Appreciation For All Things Natural
Richard Knight, The Velocity Master
Rachelle A. Arslan, The Los Angeles Cardinal
Susan Lapham, We Have A Birdbath Outside Our Home
EVENTS