BPOTY Support Bermuda Cahow Initiative
One of the world’s leading bird photography contests has taken a Bermuda Audubon Society programme aimed at boosting Cahow numbers under its wing.
Established in 2016, the annual online Bird Photographer of the Year Competition draws tens of thousands of entrants.
Describing itself as a “celebration of avian beauty and diversity, and a tribute to the flexibility and quality of today’s modern digital imaging systems,”. the competition recognises and awards the best in bird photography from around the world.
This week Bird Photographer of the Year [BPOTY] announced it was making a financial donation to the island’s Audubon Society to assist ongoing efforts in support of the Bermuda Department of Environment & Natural Resources initiative.to boost Cahow numbers.
Endemic to Bermuda, the seagoing petrel was thought to have gone extinct within a decade of the island’s settlement in 1612 as a result of overexploitation by people for food and the introduction of predatory species like dogs, cats and rats.
Eighteen surviving nesting pairs were dramatically re-discovered on some Castle Harbour islets in 1951. Today there are 125 breeding pairs of Cahows, Bermuda’s national bird.
In addition to saying it would be making a contribution to the island’s Audubon Society, BPOTY organisers encouraged its supporters around the world to do the same.
“The Bermuda Audubon Society is a non-profit charity that brings together people interested in both birding and environmental conservation,” said BPOTY. “It owns 16 nature reserves in Bermuda – approximately 60 acres of open space – and restores wetlands and other wildlife habitats. In addition to being an advocate for Bermuda’s natural environment the Bermuda Audubon Society supports a range of conservation projects including the Cahow nest-site programme.
“Bird Photographer of the Year is proud to be working alongside the organisation, to help raise funds for, and awareness of, such a vital project helping this highly endangered species. We have given the organisation £500 to kickstart the relationship and we are also inviting BPOTY community members to help.”
You can read the full announcement here
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Category: All, Environment
