David B. Wingate facts for kids
David Balcombe Wingate was born on October 11, 1935, in Bermuda. He is a famous ornithologist (someone who studies birds), a naturalist (someone who studies nature), and a conservationist (someone who works to protect nature).
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Discovering the Cahow
In 1951, when David Wingate was just 15 years old, he helped two scientists, Robert Cushman Murphy and Louis S. Mowbray. Together, they made an amazing discovery! They found a bird called the cahow, also known as the Bermuda petrel. People thought this bird had been extinct (meaning completely gone from Earth) since the 1620s. Finding it again was a huge deal!
Saving the Cahow
This exciting discovery inspired David Wingate to study Zoology at Cornell University. After finishing his studies, he returned to Bermuda in 1958. His main goal was to save the cahow from truly disappearing forever.
From 1966 until he retired in 2000, he worked as the Conservation Officer for the Bermuda Government Parks Department. This job allowed him to focus on protecting Bermuda's wildlife.
He also found new groups of black-capped petrels living in Haiti in 1963.
Nonsuch Island: A Living Museum
David Wingate spent his whole life working to bring the cahow back from being almost extinct. To do this, he started a special project on Nonsuch Island. This island had become very bare over time. His idea was to bring back the island's original ecology (how living things and their environment work together) from before people settled there.
He called this project the 'Living museum'. He carefully brought back many different plants and animals that used to live on Nonsuch Island. This helped create a safe home for the cahows and other native species.
Awards and Recognition
David Wingate has received many awards for his important work. Some of these include:
- The OBE from the Queen of the United Kingdom.
- The Ridder, Order of the Golden Ark from the Netherlands.
- The United Nations' Global 500 Award.
- An honorary science degree from Clark University in Massachusetts.
- The Eisenmann Medal in 1991 from the Linnaean Society of New York.
- A nomination for the Indianapolis prize in 2007.
- A Lifetime Achievement award from BirdsCaribbean in 2017.
In 2012, a book called Rare Birds: The Extraordinary Tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the Man Who Brought It Back from Extinction was published about his life and his efforts to save the cahows. His eldest daughter, Janet, also wrote an award-winning book about her father's Nonsuch project, which is used as a schoolbook in Bermuda.
Images for kids
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Dr. David B. Wingate
