Courting the Cahow
 Bermuda Petrel Drawing by Mark Reaves |
In 2003, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Mark Reaves visited Green Island in Bermuda to record the eerie moaning vocalizations of cahows, or Bermuda Petrels. At the time, only 70 breeding pairs remained in the world and 65 juveniles were believed to be living at sea.
Reaves sat on Green Island in the dark, recording cahows in low-flying courtship displays just inches over his head. Later, the recordings were broadcast to attract cahows to artificial nesting burrows on predator-free islands.
The strategy worked. Three new cahow pairs settled into burrows on Nonsuch Island, two of them next to speakers broadcasting the courtship calls. In 2005, 71 pairs had an egg--a record-high at the time.
Related article:
Courting the Cahow. BirdScope, Autumn 2005.