May 2023
Birdlife studied at Sophia Point
It was great to have Master’s student Rita Delucco work with our local field assistant Leroy Boyan to study the birds at Sophia Point. They spent time setting up and monitoring mist nets to gain an understanding of the bird activity and species on our site.
Despite rainy season downpours, they were able to document some beautiful and varied species of birds. They were keenly watched on more than one occasion by our resident Wedge-capped capuchin monkeys. Rita shared her knowledge of the mist netting process with Leroy as he, in turn, taught Rita how to set up camp and clear trails in the rainforest. We look forward to reading the Kent University student’s results from her time at Sophia Point.
She was joined by fellow Master's student Marcus Baxter who was studying the caiman trade. Marcus enjoyed a late-night trip up the Badawarin creek with Desmond Braithewaite where he was lucky enough to spot a number of caiman along the banks.
Fans donated to River’s View community
Sophia Point was delighted to support our neighbouring Amerindian community’s school. Thanks to a joint donation from the Bragan-Turner family in the UK and Sophia Point we were able to assist in delivering and assembling fans to help cool the classrooms for both teachers and pupils. Thanks to newly installed solar power at the school, teachers will be able to run the fans through the day to make the school a more comfortable place to work and learn.
Thanks to volunteer Josh
This month we sadly had to say goodbye to our first long-term volunteer, Josh George. Josh was based at Sophia Point for 3 months and worked hard carrying timber, moving sand, supporting the social media and communications output, and helping prepare the site for construction. He was an asset to the team.
Unfortunately, Josh had a scary experience with a venomous lonomia caterpillar whilst at Sophia Point. Thankfully, after medical attention in Georgetown and anti-venom treatment from Brazil, he is on his way to making a full recovery. Academics will make use of Josh's experience to study the effects of lonomia venom and the prevalence of this rare caterpillar in Guyana.
Despite this, Josh remained positive and upbeat throughout his time and it was great to have him support the work at Sophia Point. He left a firm favourite amongst our neighbours and friends in River’s View and we hope to see him back sometime in the future!
Filmmaker follows the trail of Sir Wilson Harris
PhD student Louis Henderson spent time with us studying the work and life of renowned Guyanese author Sir Wilson Harris. Prior to writing books, Harris was a surveyor for the Guyanese government in the early 20th century, spending many hours traversing the rivers which play a prominent role in his famous works.
Louis followed in Harris’ footsteps, taking journeys up the Essequibo and local creeks with our boat guide Alwayne Crighton. He hopes to return to Sophia Point later this year to make a film about Sir Wilson’s work.
Spotlight on a funder - Three Cairns Group
The work of Sophia Point would not be possible without the support and donations from individuals and philanthropic funders alike. We are very proud and grateful to have a collection of supportive, engaged and generous backers.
One such organisation is the Three Cairns Group. They work to build and support innovative organizations, platforms, and initiatives to accelerate climate action. They were an early seed funder of the Sophia Point project and we are delighted to announce that they have committed to continue to support Sophia Point.
If you would like to support Sophia Point, you can donate here:
Spotted at Sophia Point
This beautiful mangrove snake (Erythrolamprus cobella) was spotted crossing our beach. These semi-aquatic snakes are endemic to South America and live amongst mangroves and coastal areas, hunting for frogs, lizards and fish. This one was basking on the river bank before moving into the mangroves.
