Mark Gibson's Green Photography

Mark Gibson's Green Photography Photos and videos from my travels and work related to animal welfare, conservation, sustainable development, and more.

Buenos Aires on a sunny day ☀️ 🇦🇷 🖼
05/19/2024

Buenos Aires on a sunny day ☀️ 🇦🇷 🖼

An effort in self-portraiture. In coffee, I am often found.
10/14/2023

An effort in self-portraiture. In coffee, I am often found.

Tobago Carnival (1 of 2)I had an amazing time playing pretty mas in Tobago’s first independent Carnival celebration. I w...
11/06/2022

Tobago Carnival (1 of 2)

I had an amazing time playing pretty mas in Tobago’s first independent Carnival celebration. I was happy to join Tracey () and Jere (.jere) in celebrating with Fog Angels () and Tempo Networks ().

The energy of the revelers was fantastic. People of all ages and communities were out to share in the vibes and their love for Tobago.

As ever, I took way too many photos, so I’ll put up another post in a little bit. Here’s looking forward to next year!

Tobago Carnival (2 of 2)I had an amazing time playing pretty mas in Tobago’s first independent Carnival celebration. I w...
11/06/2022

Tobago Carnival (2 of 2)

I had an amazing time playing pretty mas in Tobago’s first independent Carnival celebration. I was happy to join Tracey () and Jere (.jere) in celebrating with Fog Angels () and Tempo Networks ().

The energy of the revelers was fantastic. People of all ages and communities were out to share in the vibes and their love for Tobago.

As ever, I took way too many photos, so I’ll put up another post in a little bit. Here’s looking forward to next year!

The Caroni Bird (and Cat) SanctuaryThe world-class Caroni Bird Sanctuary is now home to 200 or more cats that actively h...
09/14/2022

The Caroni Bird (and Cat) Sanctuary

The world-class Caroni Bird Sanctuary is now home to 200 or more cats that actively hunt throughout this important mangrove ecosystem.

As a conservationist and animal welfare advocate, I find this to be one of the hardest issues to consider. On the one hand, I am acutely aware of how harmful cats can be to bird life. The Caroni Swamp provides habitat for 190 or more bird species, including the national bird, the Scarlet Ibis. Yet by one estimate, a feral cat kills 23 to 46 birds annually. This means the Caroni cats may kill between 5,000 and 10,000 birds a year.

On the other hand, there is evident kindness in providing sanctuary for the many cats of Caroni. The area is a popular dumping ground for unwanted kittens in a country where rates of feline spays and neuters are quite low. Local welfare activists provide daily food at certain gathering points, and some activists have gone so far as to spay and neuter some of the animals.

Meanwhile, in recent years, some local people concerned about the swamp have taken to poisoning the cats. Yet this has caused further harm to wildlife as poisoned carcasses are eaten by wildlife, resulting in secondary poisonings. Others have advocated for these cats to be caged and euthanized, but this has led to threats of violence by persons who have already gone to great lengths to care for these animals. As a result, the Swamp managers have not intervened.

These animals could be rounded up and dealt with humanely if money were no object. Some of the cats are clearly socialized for human interaction, so they might be put in homes. Other cats are clearly feral and could never be kept as household pets. A long-term “cattery” could be set up for such animals, which might live up to 18 years. But of course, money is a very real constraint.

Maybe one day the resources will be found or a hard choice will be made. For now, at least, the issue continues to play out as a clash of cats and birds and values and communities.

06/22/2022

A White-tailed Sabrewing (Campylopterus ensipennis) takes a rest on a clothes line after several stormy days in northeast Tobago.

Though I prefer sunnier days, the recent tropical waves have let me reacquaint myself with the beauty of precipitation. Fogs and clouds roll through. The sun's rays refract and diffuse brightly at unexpected hours. Mango collection is soggy but quick. And several of our most special Tobago creatures have come to stay for a bit.

The White-tailed Sabrewing is the largest hummingbird in Tobago, weighing up to 10 grams, and it certainly uses that size to control "territory" around the feeder. It is found only in NE Venezuela and Tobago, and was thought to have become extinct in T&T after Hurricane Flora in 1963. It's usually found at higher elevations, but many folks near sea-level in NE Tobago are used to seeing them at feeders.

As ever, much love to Tracey for making friends with all the best critters.

06/14/2022

The Green-rumped Parrotlet

A favorite and occasional visitor to my "dissertation writing nook" here in NE Tobago is this Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus).

Apart from their beauty, the species is really interesting/complicated for wildlife management in the Southern Caribbean. It is hunted throughout its range as a pet parrot and though it is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN, the populations really aren't well monitored. Some experts even perceive substantial declines in some parts of their range.

A lot of this hunting also occurs illegally. For instance, in T&T, a glue made of native "gama" berries is commonly used to sticky trap these parrotlets, yet this method is prohibited by law due to the trauma it can inflict. And in nearby Venezuela, hunters rarely if ever have the required permits.

And on top of all this, the Green-rumped Parrotlet is conceivably a "flagship species" for animal welfare issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Back in the 2010s, this Southern Caribbean parrot was the first of all parrot species found to use "individual vocal recognition," or what we humans call "names." This research also eventually revealed that such names are given by parents to their chicks.

For me this one always gets me. Should an animal that names its young really be one so easily stuck in a cage? Shouldn't there at least be safeguards to ensure they are well kept? Meanwhile, most if not all parrot species likely share this cognitive feature, and parrots are one of the most common types of pets in the LAC region.

So here's much love for the Green-rumped Parrotlet. I hope we'll be spending a little more time together.

06/07/2022

As the Cocrico Crows

Here is much appreciation for Northeast Tobago, a special place celebrating a special day. It is the official inauguration of the "North-East Tobago Biosphere Reserve" under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. That's really a BIG DEAL because it will give the region access to funding and resources to be a 'learning laboratory for sustainable development.'

After just a little while staying here, I can say that it is truly a special place. The creature life is a lot of fun to explore, the forest scenes are stunning, the fresh caught fish is delicious, and there are plenty of sleepy beaches. And of course, there is a pretty unique morning and evening forest soundscape.

The Corcrio crows, the Barred Antshrike trills between choruses, and the Atlantic waves crash in the background.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out about our missing dogs. Admittedly, it is a 39th birthday I...
05/17/2022

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out about our missing dogs.

Admittedly, it is a 39th birthday I could have done without, but it has meant a lot to learn how many people care and have offered to help. Importantly, we’ve gotten tips that our dogs may still be captive in the area and we are hopeful we will see them again.

If anyone knows any hunters in Tobago, even distantly, then I, Tracey ), and our neighbors ask you to share these pics of our three dogs. It’s possible they may be offered for sale somewhere farther away than Englishman’s Bay, so we hope to get the word out.

Our numbers are: 467-3829 / 493-9886

My daily alarm clock, the ‘cocrico’ aka ‘rufous-vented chachalaca,’ is one of two national birds in Trinidad and Tobago....
04/25/2022

My daily alarm clock, the ‘cocrico’ aka ‘rufous-vented chachalaca,’ is one of two national birds in Trinidad and Tobago.

Though it can’t quite compete in beauty with the other national bird, the scarlet ibis, it does offer its charms. Found all over Tobago, including the NE Tobago Biosphere Reserve, its calls are part of the the island’s acoustic landscape. And every so often, the cocrico will share with you a quiet flash of color as it glides from one tree to another.

Sadly, the cocrico is also much misunderstood and mistreated. It’s populations have ballooned with the loss of predator species like red-tailed boa and black hawk. As a result, they are killed indiscriminately by farmers and sport hunters. That’s not quite as sustainable or kind of a solution as helping to bring back the species that would control populations naturally.

04/18/2022

A green iguana (Iguana iguana) gives a display of dominance and a salty sneeze in western Tobago.

The green iguana is one of the largest and most widely dispersed land reptiles in the world. It grows up to 1.7m in length and its native range extends from Bolivia to Mexico to Montserrat. It has also been introduced as widely as the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific and the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic.

I most love seeing these lizards basking in the sun in their native Trinidad and Tobago. Unfortunately, cruel and near incessant hunting of them occurs in spite of their being rules again animal cruelty and a hunting season. Once caught, many green iguanas will have their legs bound behind their backs, typically leading to joint dislocation, and they may stay that way for days before being butchered.

Shooting a few clips of this iguana caught the attention of a family and so I let the kids watch the back screen. "Wow, it looks like a nature show, it's so pretty," said one. Too bad a parent followed up: "Mmm, but have you ever eaten one? We could cook that one up real nice." Here's hoping the younger generation can hold on to that sense of wonder.

04/12/2022

And one more featuring a slightly more regal bathing Trinidad Mot Mot.

P.S. Thanks FB to limiting me to one video a post 🙂

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