Colorful fish of Port au Prince = invasive guppies!

The canals running along the streets of Port au Prince are trashy and look like disgusting cesspools, but we sampled one along Mais Gate to see what fish were there.  A spring flows into this canal after running down a side street.  The colorful little fish living there were quite surprising.  Further investigation revealed they are guppies!  Dr. Helen Rodd (see her lab website) confirmed this, saying their coloration indicates they "have some fancy, domesticated guppies in their ancestry."

Guppies are in the same family Poeciliidae as the endemic Gambusia and Limia, which means they could out compete these native species if they ended up in Haiti's streams and lakes.

Female

We sampled in the cattails in the canal.

Releasing the fish back into the canal.

Yes, fish live here!

Clear spring water running down the street that comes out at Mais Gate.

Examination of Riviere Lislet Les Cayes Haiti

The short study of Riviere Glace was followed by a brief examination of Riviere Lislet that runs south along the eastern edge of Les Cayes before ending at the ocean.  We sampled where Rue Simon crosses the river, and arrived before the area was too busy with people washing themselves, laundry, and motos.  The water was warmer and siltier than Riviere Glace, but we found a lot of the native mosquito fish (Gambusia) and small tilapia (non-native fish).  The young men there were very eager to help us find fish and macroinvertebrates.

Sample date 24 March 2015 7:30am

Temperature = 26.27C                   pH = 8.04             turbidity = 0 NTU

Dissolved oxygen = 6.85 mg/l     oxygen reduction potential = 89 mV

Conductivity = 0.387 mS/cm    salinity = 0.02%                 total dissolved solids = 0.252 g/l

E. coli bacteria 3 colonies in 1 ml water (see the test kit here)

Water quality measurements were taken upstream of Rue Simon crossing.

Looking upstream.

  

Native mosquito fish Gambusia

Freshwater shrimp

Biodiversity of Riviere Glace

Riviere Glace is a beautiful river than runs near the village of Duchity, a town about an hour's drive north of Les Cayes Haiti.  Along the river the highway is being widened and paved, and right before Duchity there is a new bridge.  Stop at this bridge and hike upstream along and through the river about 100 m and at a bend in the river you will come to a series of clear cool pools perfect for swimming on a hot day.  Unfortunately the road construction along this stretch threatens this pristine river.  Here are some photos of what the area looked like on 22 March 2015.

Sample time 9:50am

Temperature = 20.41 C           pH = 6.58             turbidity = 0 NTU

Dissolved oxygen= 11.54 mg/l     oxygen reduction potential = 187 mV

Conductivity = 0.212 mS/cm       salinity = 0.01%                 total dissolved solids = 0.252 g/l

No E. coli or coliform bacteria (see the test kit here)

Epilobocera haytensis Rathbun, 1893

Deep pool at the bend (note the gabion) and riffles upstream (no gabion).

Gabion at the bridge.

Mayfly larvae on a rock in the river.

The deep pool at the bend in the river.

Two tadpoles and a damselfly larvae.

The view upstream from the pool.  Road-side bank is on the left and has no gabion.

View walking upstream from the bridge.  Note the calf (with mom) by the river!

Possible invasive hibicus of Etang Douat, Haiti

While evaluating the watershed of Etang Douat, a currently dry lake in the southern peninsula of Haiti, we came across this dense patch of thorny hibiscus growing in the dry lake bed.  Ani’s (black birds called boustabek in Creole) were hanging out in the patch.  If anyone has any ideas about what it is, please leave a comment, or email me at debbieauc at gmail.com.

Asian carp of Etang Laborde, Haiti

Researchers from the University of Kansas are in Haiti studying the watersheds of Etang Lachaux, Douat, and Laborde, 3 lakes between Camp Perrin and Les Cayes on the southern peninsula.  We heard reports of a large fish called the bout lang that used to be found in Etang Lachaux.  The older residents remembered it from their childhood, and indicated it was about a meter long.  We weren't sure if it was just a tall fish tale until we saw it at Etang Laborde!  A fisherman had caught it and was standing with it by the road as we were leaving Laborde.  It was 78 cm long, and here are pictures.  Further investigation revealed that this is the introduced silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix.  Residents said it was released in 1977.

Analyse-diagnostic des versants qui surplombent l’étang Laborde

In 2007 Louis-Jean Enold performed a study of the watershed of Etang Laborde, a lake 10 miles north of Les Cayes, Haiti.  This report has excellent information about the life of the people and flora and fauna of the watershed.  Click to download the pdf.

Analyse-diagnostic des versants qui surplombent l’étang Laborde

Resume
Cette étude se porte sur les versants qui surplombent l’étang Laborde, l’une des zones humides les plus importantes de la commune des Cayes. Elle se donne pour objectif de diagnostiquer ces versants et de proposer des alternatives d’exploitation plus appropriées conduisant à une gestion durable des ressources du milieu. Ainsi, une approche historique et une approche systémique ont été utilisées. Nous avons mené des enquêtes préliminaires sur une population de soixante-dix (70) exploitants agricoles répartis dans sept localités de la zone d’étude. De ces derniers, un échantillon plus restreinte de trente-deux (32) exploitants, choisis au hasard, , a été retenu pour des enquêtes approfondies. Les résultats montrent que les risques d’érosion sont élevés pour environ 66% et grave pour près de 5% des terres du bassin versant qui couvre 711.27 ha. Ainsi, seulement 1.40% soit 9.96 ha a de très bonnes potentialités. Quant à la couverture forestière, elle est très réduite. Nous avons pu en distinguer une couverture dense (16.36%), une couverture éparse (11.97%) et une couverture déboisée qui occupe la plus grande partie du bassin versant soit (71.97%). Des 54.17 ha exploités par nos enquêtés 70.06% sont en FVD 29.74% en FVI. La surface totale par exploitation varie de 0.33 à 3.73 ha avec une moyenne de 1.71 ha.

2014 Christmas Bird Count of Haiti

The 2014 Christmas Bird Count of the Les Cayes area has been tallied!  Here are the results presented with previous years.  The 2014 count included three new species not previously observed in the Cayes CBC.  These were:  Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana) seen in the Maniche area; Cave Swallow (Perochelidon fulva) which nest beneath the wharf in Cayes; and a Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) observed two days before the count date by Peter Rudenberg.  This is only the third record of this species recorded on the southern peninsula of Haiti.  Species observed in the count circle three days prior to and three days after the count day can be recorded with an "x" as "observed" during the count week.

Despite having the lowest participation in three years, the number of individuals and species observed was still quite high, due to the experience of the field observers and the diverse habitat represented by the five teams in the field.  Those habitats include low mountains, lakes, rivers, mangrove, beach, urban, and agricultural fields.

The low water level at Etang Lachaux eliminated an important habitat for diver ducks.  Additionally, there were locals hunting at Etang Laborde the day of the count, which drastically limited bird numbers from an area that is normally very productive.  Warbler numbers were lower this year, but the numbers for most other expected species were consistent with the number of participants in the count.

Visit the Cornell eBird webpage for Haiti to see all birds recorded from Haiti.  

Nom anglais	Nom latin	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Canard / Oie
West Indian Whistling Duck	Dendrocygna arborea
Gadwall	Anas strepera
Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope	1
American Wigeon	Anas americana	49	8	138	120	145	3
Blue-winged Teal	Anas discors		5	386	120	2
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata					1
White-cheeked Pintail	Anas bahamensis		6				1
Green-winged Common Teal	Anas crecca			50
Canvasback	Aythya valisineria
Redhead	Aythya americana
Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	21	3	26	180	2
Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis			7		1	3
Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	56	14	12	4	10	2
Plonjon
Least Grebe	Tachybaptus dominicus
Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	66	63	55	31	6	7
Les Oiseaux du marécage
White Ibis	Eudocimus albus
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	100	90		420	286	200
Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax				1
Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	1		17	7	x
Green Heron	Butorides virescens	3	16	13	25	12	12
Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis	194	311	763	1450	394	850
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	26	2	12	9		5
Great Egret	Ardea alba	18	23	7	12	9	4
Tricolored or Louisiana Heron	Egretta tricolor		3		x	5	17
Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	16	21	12	18	19	58
Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	9	20	8	20	54	17
Black-necked Stilt	Himantopus mexicanus	38	32	296	327	264	388
Les Oiseaux de la mer
Red-billed Tropicbird	Phaethon aethereus
White-tailed Tropicbird	Phaethon lepturus
Magnificent Frigatebird	Fregata magnificens
Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis			2
Neotropical Cormorant	Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Double-crested Cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus
Malfini
Turkey-Vulture	Cathartes aura	12	6	30	16	41	8
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	17	8	17	25	27	13
Merlin	Falco columbarius				1	2	1
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	2	3	2	3	1	2
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	3	2			1	1
Poul de l'eau
Purple Gallinule	Porphyrio martinica
Common Moorhen Gallinule	Gallinula chloropus/galeata	32	9	48	22	19	8
American Coot	Fulica americana	10	35	5	16	7	18
Caribbean Coot	Fulica caribaea	63	71	57	37	18	11
Northern Jacana	Jacana spinosa	7	14	16	1	2
Pluvier
American Golden Plover	Pluvialis dominica
Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola	40	11	37	3	28	31
Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus					1	18
Wilson's Plover	Charadrius wilsonia				2		1
Killdeer	Ardea alba		4	5	6	12	3
Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus
Kentish Plover	Charadrius alexandrinus
Bécasseaux
Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago					26	5
Short-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus griseus	5
Long-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus scolopaceus
Hudsonian Godwit	Limosa haemastica
Marbled Godwit	Limosa fedoa
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus
Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda
Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	1	7	2	35	4
Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes		1	57	32	49	14
Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	24	1	7	8	17	18
Willet	Catoptrophorus semipalmatus		3	8	12	16	30
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	14	8	38	1	58	18
Red Knot	Calidris canutus
Sanderling	Calidris alba		33	46	39	12	3
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla			2
Western Sandpiper	Calidris mauri				x		1
Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla			1		37
White-rumped Sandpiper	Calidris fuscicollis
Baird's Sandpiper	Calidris bairdii
Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos
Dunlin	Calidris alpina
Stilt-Sandpiper	Calidris himantopus			15	x	1	20
Buff-breasted Sandpiper	Tryngites subruficollis
Ruff	Philomachus pugnax
Wilson's Phalarope	Phalaropus tricolor
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus
Goéland / Sterne
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis		1	1			1
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus		2				1
Herring Gull	Larus argentatus
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus
Bonaparte's Gull	Larus philadelphia
Laughing Gull	Larus atricilla	52	14	7	4	1	16
Franklin's Gull	Larus pipixcan
Black-legged Kittiwake	Rissa tridactyla
Gull-billed Tern	Sterna nilotica				x
Caspian Tern	Sterna caspia
Sandwich Tern	Sterna sandvicensis		3	2	x	2	5
Royal Tern	Sterna maxima	5	13	4	1	4	1
Roseate Tern	Sterna dougallii	20
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	68					3
Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri
Least Tern	Sterna antillarum	5	1
Bridled Tern	Sterna anaethetus
Sooty Tern	Sterna fuscata
Black Tern	Chlidonias niger
Brown Noddy	Anous stolidus
Black Skimmer	Rynchops niger
Pigeon / Ramier
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia					50	1
White-crowned Pigeon	Columba leucocephala
Scaly-naped Pigeon	Columba squamosa			5	18	4	3
Plain Pigeon	Columba inornata
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	8	17	17	32	44	56
Zenaida Dove	Zenaida aurita	4
White-winged Dove	Zenaida asiatica		9			13	10
Common Ground Dove	Columbina passerina	5	14	22	11	20	10
Gray-headed Quail-Dove	Geotrygon caniceps
Key West Quail-Dove	Geotrygon chrysia
Ruddy Quail-Dove	Geotrygon montana						1
Tako
Black-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus
Mangrove Cuckoo	Coccyzus minor
Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo	Saurothera longirostris	4	1	12	20	13	9
Smooth-billed Ani	Crotophaga ani	17	4	48	74	51	77
Hibou/Chouette
Barn Owl	Tyto alba			1		1
Ashy-faced Owl	Tyto glaucops
Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia
Stygian Owl	Asio stygius
Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus
Petonvwa
Northern Potoo	Nyctibius jamaicensis
Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor
Antillean Nighthawk	Chordeiles gundlachii
Least Pauraque	Siphonorhis brewsteri
Chuck-will's Widow	Caprimulgus carolinensis
Greater Antillean Nightjar	Caprimulgus cubanensis
Martinet
Black Swift	Cypseloides niger	4
White-collared Swift	Streptoprocne zonaris			1	11
Chimney Swift	Chaetura pelagica
Antillean Palm Swift	Tachornis phoenicobia	7		27		16	35
Ouanga Négresse
Antillean Mango	Anthracothorax dominicus	x	6	11	4	15	6
Hispaniolan Emerald	Chlorostilbon swainsonii	1	1	4		3
Vervain Hummingbird	Mellisuga minima	7		3	4	10
Pipirit Rivye
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	3	7	6	6	3	5
Kolibri
Broad-billed Tody	Todus subulatus	3		4		9	2
Narrow-billed Tody	Todus angustirostris		1	5
Charpentier
Antillean Piculet	Nesoctites micromegas					6	3
Hispaniolan Woodpecker	Melanerpes striatus	16	24	40	84	53	38
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius				x	1
Pipirite
Greater Antillean Elaenia	Elaenia fallax
Hispaniolan Pewee	Contopus hispaniolensis	1	1				3
Gray Kingbird	Tyrannus dominicensis	14	8	22	26	30	21
Loggerhead Kingbird	Tyrannus caudifasciatus					3	3
Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus
Stolid Flycatcher	Myiarchus stolidus					1
Vireonidae
White-eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus
Thick-billed Vireo	Vireo crassirostris
Flat-billed Vireo	Vireo nanus
Yellow-throated Vireo	Vireo flavifrons
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus
Black-whiskered Vireo	Vireo altiloquus
Corneille
Palm Crow	Corvus palmarum	29		5		30	3
White-necked Crow	Corvus leucognaphalus	17	2	26	47	47	75
Zwazo maske
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum
Zwazo palmis
Palmchat	Dulus dominicus	9	x	59	31	85	26
Hirondelle
Bank Swallow	Riparia riparia
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor
Golden Swallow	Tachycineta euchrysea
Purple Martin	Progne subis
Caribbean Martin	Progne dominicensis
No. Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica					4
Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Cave Swallow	Petrochelidon fulva						15
Ti zwazo
Bananaquit	Coereba flaveola	20	21	47	81	63	41
Moqueur / Grive
Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	3	2	4	10	22	6
Red-legged Thrush	Turdus plumbeus		3			9	2
Madan Sara
Village Weaver	Ploceus cucullatus	3	12	11	45	128	83
Estrildidae
Nutmeg Mannikin	Lonchura punctulata			2		2
Black-headed Munia	Lonchura malacca
Ti Kikit / Paruline
Golden-winged Warbler	Vermivora chrysoptera
Blue-winged Warbler	Vermivora pinus
Tennessee Warbler	Vermivora peregrina
Nashville Warbler	Vermivora ruficapilla
Northern Parula	Parula americana	4	x	4	2	7	1
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Dendroica pensylvanica
Yellow Warbler	Dendroica petechia	2			2	4	1
Blackpoll Warbler	Dendroica striata
Bay-breasted Warbler	Dendroica castanea
Blackburnian Warbler	Dendroica fusca
Magnolia Warbler	Dendroica magnolia
Cape May Warbler	Dendroica tigrina	5	1	11	8	10	5
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Dendroica caerulescens	2	3	9	5	7	10
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Dendroica coronata
Black-throated Green Warbler	Dendroica virens
Yellow-throated Warbler	Dendroica dominica
Prairie Warbler	Dendroica discolor	1		2	2	2	1
Pine Warbler	Dendroica pinus
Kirtland's Warbler	Dendroica kirtlandii
Palm Warbler	Dendroica palmarum	1			7	3	1
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	x	x	5	7	10	2
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	8	5	13	12	25	12
Prothonotary Warbler	Protonotaria citrea
Worm-eating Warbler	Helmitheros vermivorum
Swainson's Warbler	Limnothlypis swainsonii
Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	3	x	3		5
Northern Waterthrush	Seiurus noveboracensis
Louisiana Waterthrush	Seiurus motacilla	7			1	3	1
Kentucky Warbler	Oporornis formosus
Connecticut Warbler	Oporornis agilis
Mourning Warbler	Oporornis philadelphia
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	1			6		2
Green-tailed Warbler	Microligea palustris
Hooded Warbler	Wilsonia citrina
Wilson's Warbler	Wilsonia pusilla
Canada Warbler	Wilsonia canadensis
Yellow-breasted Chat	Icteria virens
White-winged Warbler	Xenoligea montana
Icteridae
Greater Antillean Oriole	Icterus dominicensis	1
Shiny Cowbird	Molothrus bonariensis						x
Tawny-shouldered Blackbird	Agelaius humeralis
Greater Antillean Grackle	Quiscalus niger			7	10	19	2
Zwazo kann / Bruant
Yellow-faced Grassquit	Tiaris olivaceus	x		14	45	56	23
Black-faced Grassquit	Tiaris bicolor		3				2
Greater Antillean Bullfinch	Loxigilla violacea					5	1
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	3	8	1			4
Tangara
Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra
Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea
Western Tanager	Piranga ludoviciana
Gray-crowned Palm Tanager	Phaenicophilus poliocephalus	4	5	2		6	7
Western Chat-Tanager	Calyptophilus tertius
Eastern Chat-Tanager	Calyptophilus frugivorus
Hispaniolan Spindalis	Spindalis dominicensis
Antillean Euphonia	Euphonia musica				2	2
	total individuals	1195	1025	2664	3621	2496	2427
	total species count day	65	60	72	63	83	81
	total species count week	68	64	72	69	84	82
# of Field Observers		10	13	21	23	15	14
Minimum teams at one time					3	4	3
Maximum teams at one time					5	5	5
Miles driving					113	128	45
Hours driving					6	5	5.75
Miles on foot					15	9	14.25
Hours on foot					29	32	22.25
Hours owling				1		1	0.5
Miles owling				1		2	2