After Mike’s spectacular visit to Jamaica last year we’re focussing more on this somewhat (from a world birder’s perspective) overlooked region. The Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) is holding a wetland workshop in Negril, Jamaica next month. One of the birds participants will be getting good views of is the Endangered West Indian Whistling Duck. Neatly tying everything together we’re at the moment planning a series on endangered wildfowl - and the WIWD will be one of our featured birds. We may be announcing an even more interesting link with Jamaica in the near future - so keep watching this blog!

The West Australian is reporting the sudden deaths of about 150 Carnaby’s Black-cockatoos Calyptorhynchus latirostris, an Endangered parrot endemic to south-western Australia. A severe heatwave is being blamed. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the species disappeared from over one third of its range and became split into small populations: the loss of so many birds will severely impact local conservation efforts. (Thanks to Brenton Head for the heads-up)

The Black-faced Spoonbill Platelea minor is Endangered. The East Asian wetlands it depends on are being destroyed. Discovering that American universities are helping fund the destruction of South Korea’s internationally-important Song Do wetland is to say the least hugely disappointing. That’s what’s happening though, as a well-written piece in The Herald-Sun by Prof Randall Hester explains: “…South Korea will pay US$50 million for N.C. State’s facilities, due to open [on reclaimed land at Songdo] to 3,000 students in 2010. Who knows what deals Duke or the other nine universities involved in Songdo (Georgia Tech, SUNY-Stony Brook, the University of Missouri, the University of Southern California, George Mason, the University of Delaware, the University of Illinois, Carnegie Mellon, and Boston University) are being offered.” The newspaper article is open to comment, so please make your feelings heard.

The Birds Korea Latest News pages often have some staggeringly good photos of unusual (even by East Asian standards) birds, but check out the amazing photos of Scaly-sided Mergansers Mergus squamatus on there at the moment. This is a species that is rarely seen by western birders, and images like these are just sensational. And while you’re there check out the flying Falcated Duck which is mightily impressive too!