Background Information:
A 14-acre island with a peak elevation point of 50 feet from sea level located at the eastern entrance of Castle Hrbour, St. Georges. It was initially used a quarintine island for yellow fever sufferers in 1860. However this did not last long due to the discovery of the Cahow in 1951 when it was thought to have been extinct for hundreds of years. Then, in 1964 Conservationist, Dr. David Windgate became a resident of the island to help restore it to its original habitat and begin the cahow project.
The Cahow Project
Dr. David Windgate, conservationist, took it upon himself in the early 1960's to become the sole resident of Non-such Island. His goal was to help the Bermuda Petrel (Cahow) to repopulate as they were so visiously wiped out from a population of an estimated 11 million in 1609 to an assumed extinction in 1620 because they were such an island delicousy.
After decades of work, Dr. Windgate has a total Cahow population of 250, which is a vast improvement but still devastatingly under par to the minimum for an endangered species which is 25000. He has done well to prevent predators such as rats and cats from entering the island. However, the main competitor happens to fellow memeber of the bird species, the Bermuda Longtail. The longtails were discovered in cahow nests while the adults flew over the oceans and left the juveniles nesting unprotected. They were brutally killed to make way for the longtails and their bones were used as a sub base for the nests. As a precaution Windgate has made wooden entrances for the cahow nests suited to the cahow body structure to prevent anymore setbacks in the growth of their population.
After decades of work, Dr. Windgate has a total Cahow population of 250, which is a vast improvement but still devastatingly under par to the minimum for an endangered species which is 25000. He has done well to prevent predators such as rats and cats from entering the island. However, the main competitor happens to fellow memeber of the bird species, the Bermuda Longtail. The longtails were discovered in cahow nests while the adults flew over the oceans and left the juveniles nesting unprotected. They were brutally killed to make way for the longtails and their bones were used as a sub base for the nests. As a precaution Windgate has made wooden entrances for the cahow nests suited to the cahow body structure to prevent anymore setbacks in the growth of their population.
Cahow
- An amazing adaptation of the Cahow is its nasal structure which allows them to drink seawater freely and thus filtering out the salt so that they are able to consume the purified water. The salt is then excreted from the nasal structure, where you may sometimes see salt crystals forming.
- Magestic ocean birds grow for 4-5 years than fly off, but always return to the original area they imprinted.
- Also, cahows are very strong fliers that can travel thousands of miles on end.
Cedar Trees
- Endemic to Bermuda's shores and at one point covered the entire island.
- Drastically effected by the skink which was introduced by settlers to rid the island of other unwanted organims.
- They have evolved tremendously over the centuries; some can even be found still intact underground and underwater.
West Indian Top Shells
- An introduced marine gastropod mollusk to Bermuda's waters.
- 80 west indian top shells were scattered around Non-such Island.
- Some of the shells were placed to become housing for the giant land hermet crab.
Olive Wood
- The olive wood was introduced to bermuda via settlers and distribution by various seed eating birds.
- The only self seeding plant on the entire Non-such Island.
Casuarina
- Another introduced plant species to Bermuda and Non-such Island.
Palmetto Tree vs.Chinese Fan Palm
- Palmetto Trees are native to Bermuda, while the Chinese Fan Palm was introduced.
- These two palms are so similar they could be seen as faternal twins in our ecosystem, but the crucial differences between the two would be the spikey stems of the chinese palm leaves as wells as the very smooth texture of the palm tree leaves.
References
Dr. J.P. Skinner
http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_0000cc.htm
http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_0000cc.htm