The population of birds in the Virgin Islands may be declining, according to data collected in recent years by participants in the National Parks Trust’s annual Christmas Bird Count.
During the holidays, groups and individuals joined their counterparts around the Americas to birdwatch and record their results for a National Audubon Society programme that is now in its 112th year.
“For the past five years, the overriding question has been where have all the birds gone?” Esther Georges, NPT deputy director, said in a statement. “This year was no exception.”
On Dec. 27 on Tortola and on Jan. 4 on Anegada, NPT groups recorded a decrease in numbers from previous years, according to Ms. Georges. Another group participated on the eastern side of Jost Van Dyke.
Global climate change is one of the factors causing the decrease, which has also been observed in North America, Ms. Georges explained.
See the Feb. 9, 2012 edition for full coverage.