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new PUerto rico bird atlas
>All photos are courtesy. A Puerto Rican tody A sooty tern

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Puerto Rico Breeding Bird Atlas Published
The first of its kind in the Caribbean
The Weekly Journal Staff
The International Institute of Tropical Forestry, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, has published a new atlas on breeding birds in Puerto Rico, the first effort of this nature in the Caribbean and Neotropics of the American hemisphere.
William Gould, director of the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub at the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and coauthor of the publication, said that “The Puerto Rico Breeding Bird Atlas” provides information on the breeding season and geographic distribution of 130 species of breeding birds in Puerto Rico, its satellite islands and associated keys.
The atlas — authored by scientists Jessica Castro-Prieto, Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., José Salguero-Faría, Sandra Soto-Bayó, Johann D. Crespo-Zapata, and William A. Gould — includes contributions from 344 volunteer observers from the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society Inc., who made more than 45,500 individual observations of terrestrial and aquatic birds from 2004 to 2009.
“These bird species are part of the richness and biodiversity of Puerto Rico. The more we know about their distribution and behavior, the better we will be able to sustain breeding populations in light of changing climate and threats to vulnerable habitats,” Gould explained. “The results of this voluntary effort provide an initial look at the distribution of 130 breeding bird species from 2004-2009, which can serve as the basis for future comparisons of bird responses to changes in land use and climate in Puerto Rico,” said co-author Wunderle in the preface.
The 325-page atlas contains four chapters in which the authors provide an introduction to the atlas, describe the objectives and methodology of the study, address issues related with changes to habitat and bird life, and the implications of climate change for breeding birds in Puerto Rico. In a postscript they analyze the need to study the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria to learn more about how the hurricanes have influenced the distribution and reproduction of birds.
The description of each of the 130 bird species is detailed in 244 pages illustrated with photos, maps, tables and graphs. Also included is a list of bird species in the atlas, including: 73 native residents, 26 exotic, 16 endemic, 13 subspecies endemic and two native and migratory birds.
Some more well-known species included are the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird, the Puerto Rican Oriole, the Puerto Rican Spindalis, the Puerto Rican Tanager, the Northern Mockingbird, the House Sparrow, the Red-legged Thrush, the Gray Kingbird, the Puerto Rican Woodpecker, the Puerto Rican Tody, the Broad-winged Hawk, the Puerto Rican Owl, the Puerto Rican Emerald, the Cattle Egret, the Brown Pelican, the Willet, the Purple Gallinule, and four species of parrots, among others.
The atlas included others with peculiar names such as the Turkey Vulture, the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo, the Bronze Mannikin, the Yellowcrowned Bishop, the Northern Red Bishop, the Monk Parakeet, the Shiny Cowbird, the Pin-tailed Whydah and the Puerto Rican Bullfinch.
Wunderle said the idea for the study came from a meeting of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (now Birds Caribbean) that took place in July 2003 on Tobago island.
Observers collected evidence of breeding data throughout Puerto Rico and its satellite islands and cays. Each observed behavior was classified within a hierarchy that indicates a higher probability of breeding, from simply “observed” (that is, no evidence of breeding), to evidence of “possible”, “probable” or “confirmed” breeding. The observation points and the breeding behaviors associated with each one were used to develop the distribution maps by means of a geographic information system (GIS).
The atlas can be obtained free of cost in electronic form at the link: FS.USDA.Gov/ treesearch or in printed form in the library of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, which is located in the UPR South Botanical Garden, 1201 Calle Ceiba, in Río Piedras.


Artist’s work framed in the feminist movement of the 1970s
THE WEEKLY JOURNAL Staff
The Museum of Art and Design of Miramar (MADMi) is presenting the first retrospective exhibition of American artist Suzi Ferrer (neé Nudelman, 1940-2006). The exhibition, titled “SUZI FERRER,” studies and analyzes the work produced by the artist during her stay in Puerto
Rico from 1965-1975. After her arrival on the island in 1965, Ferrer joined the Puerto Rican art scene and actively collaborated with commercial galleries and local cultural institutions. Even though the artist had a prolific career on the island - reviews in local newspapers, art encyclopedias and exhibition catalogues bear witness to this - Ferrer’s work fell into oblivion once she moved to California in the late seventies. “Suzi Ferrer was a pioneer artist in her time, despite her work not being highlighted as she deserves over the years after she left Puerto Rico. With this exhibition, we seek to vindicate Ferrer’s work and present the powerful message that her pieces carried at a time when the feminist movement was beginning to permeate the artistic world in the United States and the world, and explore their relevance today,” said Nicole Pietri, MADMi’s director. This exhibition represents an analysis of Ferrer’s work, whose paintings at the beginning of her career in the sixties had a marked influence of Art Brut. In her paintings, Ferrer emphasized the rawness, spontaneity and materiality of the medium. However, from the seventies on, and in tune with other contemporary women artists in the United States and Europe, Ferrer’s work took a conceptual turn by dedicating most of her work to portraying the inequality between men and women, and challenging the dominant male gaze. “Ferrer’s work is characteristic of proto-feminist pop art, where sexuality and the role of women in intimacy and society are explored. Ferrer, like other Pop artists of her generation, inspired by the feminist movement, broke with tradition creating works that altered the political and social status quo of the time,” explained Melissa Ramos Borges, guest curator at MADMi. “Historically, art has been a vehicle for social criticism. Suzi Ferrer’s work is full of that revealing element where the artist exposes the roles that society imposes on women and instead seeks to empower them. Today, 50 years later, although there is a path traveled, that struggle for equality continues and certainly validates the importance of presenting this retrospective today,” added Marilú Purcell-Villafañe, chief curator of MADMi. The show is organized chronologically, tracing the various influences present in Ferrer’s work, which range from art brut, pop art, counterculture, feminism and Jungian psychology. The exhibition is the product of an extensive research by Ramos, an art historian and guest curator, and shows the fluidity with which the artist worked in a variety of mediums including drawings, paintings, graphic works and installations. In addition to the works, the exhibition also showcases notes by the artist herself that help clarify her intentions, conceptual concerns and her creative process. “SUZI FERRER” is now on exhibition until March 26, 2022, Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.madmi. org.
Plaza Las Américas to Open New Stores and Restaurants
Expands offer ahead of the holiday season
The WeekLy JOuRNAL Staff

Plaza Las Américas announced the early opening of new stores and restaurants between October and November for the beginning of the 2021 Christmas season, and totaling close to 20,000 square feet of commercial space. These include the Springfield and Pashon stores, the Mañanitas and Smash Burger restaurants, an MCS service center and a Tesla car showroom. The relocation of the Casa Febus store was also announced. “Consumers find in PLAZA the widest offer of fashion, food, services and entertainment under one roof that exists in Puerto Rico,” said Franklin Domenech, general manager of the shopping center. “This offer strengthens even more with these openings that anticipate the arrival of the Christmas season, which we trust this year we can celebrate in a big way, with all the joy, rhythm and variety of events that we are used to,” he added. Springfield will be located on the first level, in a space of about 3,700 square feet, in front of the
Sephora store. Springfield offers casual and contemporary fashion merchandise for men and women between the ages of 25-35. The store is expected to open in early
October. The Pashon store will also open in the former Pashmina store, on the second level of the shopping center, in front of the Amado beauty salon, where they will have pashminas and accessories for sale. On the first level of the corridor between JCPenney and Macy’s, in a space of approximately 2,500 square feet, the first Tesla vehicle showroom will open in Puerto
Rico. This will be located right next to the Galeria footwear and accessories store.
MCS, a health insurance company, will also open a location in Plaza Las Américas, where they will temporarily operate in the corridor of the second level, between the Central Atrium and JCPenney, in a space of roughly 2,600 square feet. For the next year, MCS is expected to occupy its fixed space of 3,300 square feet on the first level, near the north source.
Moreover, visitors will also enjoy a more varied gastronomic offer in the shopping center with the opening of Mañanitas, a casual Mexican restaurant, and the Smash Burgers establishment. Both will be located on the second level, near the balcony to the Central Atrium, and will share a common area as a dining room. Mañanitas is a “fast-casual dining” concept of Mexican food. They will also have a variety of margaritas available to accompany their dishes. Right next door, Smash Burgers will offer a menu of highquality homemade burgers with their traditional companions, as well as a selection of craft beers. Due to their privileged location on the second level of the central atrium, these establishments are presented as an alternative for consumers for lunch, dinner or happy hour, as they will offer musical entertainment some days of the week. The shopping center’s management also announced the relocation of Casa Febus, which will move to a more spacious and comfortable space of some 8,700 square feet, where the Microsoft store previously operated. Plaza Las Américas is the main commercial center in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and
The shopping mall will feature the first Tesla vehicle showroom in Puerto Rico. >All photos are courtesy has approximately 300 stores, over 40 food establishments and restaurants, and 15 cinema rooms. With 1.9 million square feet, the shopping mall is located in Hato Rey, in the heart of the San Juan metro area.
In fact,
Plaza Las Américas is the main commercial center in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and has approximately 300 stores, over 40 food establishments and restaurants, and 15 cinema rooms. Springfield will sell casual and contemporary fashion merchandise for men and women.
