St. Eustatius
A volcanic island with black sand beaches, St. Eustatius features two very different landscapes. The southeast end of the island is dominated by a dormant volcano, the Quill, full of dense forests and clouds that bring rain forest conditions, while the lower northern hills have a drier weather pattern and savannah-like vegetation and fauna.
Bromeliad sp. in tree on crater rim
Photo credit: © Henkjan Kievit (SHAPE/DCNA
Nature Park Management
Member Organization
St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA) manages The Quill and Boven National Park, St. Eustatius National Marine Park and the Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden.
Contact information
For general questions:
Telephone: +599 318 2884
Email: outreach@statiapark.org
Visiting address
St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation,
Oranjebaaiweg 59
St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean
Visiting hours
Mon-Fri 07:00-17:00
St. Eustatius National Parks
St. Eustatius' Key Species & Ecosystems
Green Turtle
(Chelonia mydas)
Photo credit: © Brenda Kirkby
Bromeliad sp. in tree on crater rim
Photo credit: © Henkjan Kievit (SHAPE/DCNA
Lesser Antillean Iguana
(Iguana delicatissima)
Photo credit: © Philippa King-Stenapa
St. Eustatius Boven Hill
Red-bellied Racer
(Alsophis rufiventris)
Photo credit: © Henkjan Kievit (SHAPE/DCNA)
Latest updates from Stenapa St Eustatius
Hawksbills Sea Turtles are mainly found on and around the coral reefs, where they almost exclusively feed on sponges. For this specific diet they are often referred as spongivores. Their sharp, narrow "bird-like" beak allows them to reach within crevices on the reef.
Trivia Tuesday: How can you identify a turtle without a tag?
There are different ways to identify sea turtles. Researchers usually use tags, although there is another technique to identify them.
Hint: They are considered natural tags.
The skin patterns on the cheecks are as unique as the pattern of a zebra.
Many possibilities: scars, barnacles or damaged spots on the carapax.
Shell pattern, it's like it's finger print
Hannah Madden has done extensive work on monitoring this endemic Bridled Quail Dove, whose native range is only on The Quill.
Read more: www.birdscaribbean.org/2021/09/the-struggle-is-real-for-the-bridled-quail-dove-on-st-eustatius/For the Bridled Quail-Dove, the struggle is real 😔 on the Dutch island of St. Eustatius (Statia) 🇳🇱. Before Hurricanes Irma and Maria ⛈ struck in 2017, the mournful whooooos of these chonky beauties could be heard echoing through the forests 🌳 of the Quill National park, a dormant volcano rising up to 600m.
But not only did the back-to-back hurricanes ravage the forest, stripping many trees of leaves and branches 🍃, but another threat loomed for the Bridled Quail-Doves: invasive animals. Free-ranging goats 🐐 have been grazing areas already hurricane damaged, reducing the limited food supply and understory coverage. Feral chickens 🐓, another ground-walking bird often compete for some of the same resources with the quail-doves. And then there are cats 🐈 and rats 🐀. They are notorious nest predators of young quail-doves 🐣 and eggs. Concern grew for this isolated population 😟
Hannah Madden of the Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute conducted surveys 🗒 in the Quill National Park to check on how these birds were holding on. She conducted new surveys this year, even increasing ⬆️ their survey size from 1,200 m of transects to 15,000 m, ensuring no quail-dove was left behind. She then analyzed her survey data from 2016-2021 to get a sense of how many Bridled Quail-Doves there were and the trend in their numbers over time.
And the results?? How many Bridled Quail-Doves are on Statia?? Has the population dropped significantly with the increasing threats?? 🤔 Well you’ll just have to check out our latest blog post here to find out: www.birdscaribbean.org/2021/09/the-struggle-is-real-for-the-bridled-quail-dove-on-st-eustatius/
📸 Hannah Madden
#ornithology #readallaboutit #science #birdscaribbean #caribbeanbirds #bridledquaildove #steustatius #statia #caribbeannetherlands #endemicbirds #avesendemicas #birdphotography #birdresearch #birdscience #endangeredspecies #ornithology #conservation #hurricanes #invasivemammals #surveys #quaildoves #blogpost #CaribbeanStrong #HurricaneRecovery #HurricaneImpacts
Stenapa St Eustatius DCNA Carmabi Foundation STINAPA Bonaire Saba Conservation Foundation Aruba Birdlife Conservation St. Kitts, Nevis, and Statia Birding Cari-Bois Environmental News Network Les Fruits de Mer BirdLife Jamaica Bahamas National Trust Sociedad Cubana de Zoología Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales Cayman Islands Department of Environment Cayman Birding Birding the Islands Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalists' Club Gaea Conservation Network Inc AVES DE CUBA Ave zona Environmental Awareness Group Anguilla National Trust SusGren (Grenadines NGO) Forestry Services St. Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Department Dominica's Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division:Environmental Education Unit Grupo Jaragua SOH CONSERVACION
Have you seen the Brown Trembler is your travels in the Dutch Caribbean?The brown trembler’s natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forests. Usually it appears almost entirely warm brown; dark above and paler below with some gray on head. It has a song that is noted as a slow jumble of rich whistles and high-pitched hissing notes.
Want to find out more about the Brown Trembler or other Flagship Species?
Visit dcnanature.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/DCNA-FlagshipSpecies-2021.pdf
Have you spotted a Brown Trembler?
Please report your sighting via observation.org/
Photo by: © Eisinger Gary Photography
Saba Conservation Foundation BirdsCaribbean
We see Brown Pelicans on Statia, but have you ever heard one?The Brown Pelican is Sint Maarten’s national bird and appears on both the island’s flag and coat of arms. This large seabird is often seen gliding low above the island’s coastal waters, resting on boats in the marina or perched on cliffs. It is unmistakable because of the large skin pouch under its long grey bill. This pouch can hold two to three times as much food as the pelican’s stomach, and serves as a net to catch fish. The Brown Pelican, together with the Peruvian pelican, is the only member of the pelican family that catches its prey by plunge diving, with its long broad wings partly folded. Thanks to its incredible eyesight, it can spot fish from a height of 20 meters.
Want to find out more about the Brown Pelican or other Flagship Species? Visit dcnanature.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/DCNA-FlagshipSpecies-2021.pdf
Have you spotted a Brown Pelican?
Please report your sighting via observation.org/
Photo by: © Rostislav Stach
Aruba National Park Foundation Nature Foundation St Maarten BirdsCaribbean
FUN FACT FRIDAY - Sea Turtles
On Trivia Tuesday we asked you how sea turtles found their way to the sea.
The following publication gave an explanation in the photo: www.reed.edu/biology/342_old/assets/readings/EofAB_Lohman2_turtle_migration.pdf