M a g a z I n e o f t h e W o r l d P a r r o t t r u s t PsittaScene I n t h I s I s s u e w w w . p s i t t a s c e n e . o r g Special - Confiscations and Releases August 2011 Volume 23 Number 3 Psitta Scene fromthedirector World Parrot Trust Glanmor House, Hayle, Creating each issue of PsittaScene is a curious, exciting, and unpredictable process. Cornwall, TR27 4HB, UK. We never know where we’ll end up, which articles will come through, and how the www.parrots.org finished product will look. This issue contains a unique collection of stories which Cdovetail beautifully to illustrate how activities like captive breeding, confiscations, rehabilitation and release all come together to save parrots - promoting their contents welfare, aiding the recovery of threatened species and ending trade in wild birds. 3 From the Director Jamie Gilardi The release of Great Green Macaws in Costa Rica is especially thrilling. Our 4 Perfect 10 partners at The Ara Project have been working toward this momentous occasion Great Green Macaw for many years. As the much anticipated release day approached, we held their 10 Parrots of India pages and awaited news. The first stage of the release went ahead on schedule and Photo contest according to plan. Although the bird’s parents were confiscated many years ago, this work fits perfectly into our FlyFree campaign. It helps stop trade and provides 12 Box by Box hope for a new population where these macaws have been driven to extinction. Bonaire Rescue We are pleased to share this exciting news and to keep you updated as the releases 15 Beak by Beak continue. A volunteers story 16 Mission Easter Egg In contrast to that carefully planned effort, the news and call-to-action in Bonaire Jamaican parrot eggs smuggled came out of nowhere; another appalling confiscation creating another parrot 18 Book Reviews care emergency. Luckily Sam Williams and his team were on site, eager and able Three parrot books for children to stabilise a chaotic situation so these 112 birds could land safely on their young 19 Psitta Events feet. Better still, when news of these birds went out through the WPT network, the outpouring of support was truly remarkable. People from around the world WPT Contacts contributed donations, chick rearing formula, and long hours. Not only did 20 Parrots in the Wild: we meet our fundraising target in the first 24 hours, but one of our long term Derbyan Parakeet (Psittacula derbiana) supporters, Phoebe Green Linden, dropped everything and flew all the way to Bonaire just in the nick of time. We’re deeply inspired by Sam and Phoebe’s accounts of the ups and downs there, and we’re sure you will be too. At the World Parrot Trust we are grateful to be in a position to be able to help so many parrots in so many places around the world and you, as our members and supporters, make it all possible. Thank you! Editor: Joanna Eckles onourcovers Jamie Gilardi [email protected] Production: Karen Whitley Front Captive breeding and release are conservation tools never attempted with the highly endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) – until now! The World Parrot Trust does not necessarily endorse any views or statements made by These birds are now at the end of a nearly 2 year process starting with the contributors to PsittaScene. selection of a release site and ending in a new beginning for them as they fly It will of course consider articles or letters from any free into the Costa Rican jungle. See page 4. © Steve Milpacher contributors on their merits. Go to parrots.org/publications for Guidelines. Anyone wishing to reprint PsittaScene articles in Back The Derbyan Parakeet (Psittacula derbiana) is one of the few parrots full or in part needs permission from the author/ known to be found in South Eastern Tibet and is one of the rarest Psittacula photographer and must state that it was copied species on the Asian mainland. This species’ status was recently uplisted to from PsittaScene. All contents © World Parrot Trust ‘Near Threatened’ due to its capture for the local cage bird trade. Our first Printed by Brewers part of the Martin Luck Group online photo contest featured stunning photos of many of India’s 11 parrot Tel: 01326 563424 species. The winners are featured on pages 10-11 © JDG. 2 PsittaScene August 2011 © Chris Castles August 2011 PsittaScene 3 © S Milpacher Perfect 10 By Allan Taylor “That’s a Mountain Almond tree and that’s a Mountain Almond and that’s another...” The local landowner pointed out the trees as we stood on a ridgeline in the lush forests on the south Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The jungle spread inland and the ocean stretched away behind us and the almost constant chatter of parrots came out of what seemed like every tree. We craned our necks to look at these incredible trees towering over the canopy and a surge of excitement came over us – it was December 2009 - we might just have found the site for the first ever Great Green Macaw release. Further investigation and lengthy discussions confirmed our instincts – it was perfect! The Ara Project is a Costa Rican non- years, including our 8th release of 10 profit organisation that breeds Scarlet Scarlet Macaws at Tiskita completed (Ara macao) and Great Green Macaws in May this year (See PsittaScene 23.2, (A. ambiguus) in captivity for the sole May 2011). This year sees not only a purpose of release into the wild. The brand new Scarlet Macaw release site project has released around 100 Scarlet but also our first ever Great Green Macaws in 3 locations over the past 15 Macaw release. The protected Mountain Almond tree (Dipteryx panamensis) is the Great Green Macaw’s preferred food source and nesting tree. Fortunately, logging of the “Almendro montana” has been banned because of its critical © Allan Taylor importance to the macaws. 4 PsittaScene August 2011 © Allan Taylor Great Green Macaw “That’s a Mountain Almond tree and that’s a Mountain Almond and that’s another...” (Ara ambiguus) Preparation and moving rude start to the day. A small convoy Great Green Macaws have A year of fundraising and we were left the breeding centre in Alajuela, near declined alarmingly in recent years finally ready to go. Sufficient funding the capital San Jose, and headed up over due to poaching and deforestation, from The World Parrot Trust and two the volcanoes that divide Costa Rica in particular the cutting of Mountain Almond trees. Costa Rican sponsors have allowed for before dropping down onto the plains that characterise the Caribbean side construction, which began in January Once prevalent throughout the 2011, of the new aviary and a house of the country. Before 10 am the trip entire Caribbean half of Costa Rica for the on-site biologist. Immediately was complete and the carry cases were their range has declined by as we started the process of selecting placed into the new aviary. much as 90%. Recent conservation the chosen 10 for the first release. efforts have stabilised numbers A large group of suitable birds was Calmly, the birds started edging out of with less than 300 birds and an whittled down to 10 spanning ages 3 their boxes and flew onto the perches in estimated 25-35 breeding pairs to 7 including 5 males and 5 females; their new home. A few wobbly landings remaining in Costa Rica. 5 hand-reared and 5 parent reared apart, all 10 birds were fine. Once all 10 were settled on the perches, a good The Ara Project is charting new birds. The 10 were immediately and exciting territory with the first feed was put out and all their worries separated from the larger flock into a release of Great Green Macaws quarantine aviary, causing a degree of were forgotten. The greens were on the in the world. These 10 birds are consternation within the flock. Blood first step to freedom. the first of their kind to be bred samples were taken from each bird and and raised specifically for release. sent to Avian Biotech in the US for Adapting Years of conservation efforts to disease testing. The results came back Prior to release, several key challenges preserve habitat and nest trees and clear of all diseases and parasites. A awaited the 10 macaws. Firstly – reduce poaching have paid off to minimum of 28 days isolation and they the surroundings. Trade the cars, allow for an exciting new chapter would be ready to go. aeroplanes, dogs, people and karaoke for this highly endangered macaw. bars of Alajuela, for monkeys, hawks, March 27 was the date chosen to vultures, ocean, forest, free flying transport the macaws to their new parrots and the warm and sultry climate home. Moving 10 macaws 200 miles of the Caribbean! Secondly – the food. may sound straightforward but it The macaws at the breeding centre required a huge team effort. The day have their food prepared for them, with began early. At 3:30 am the birds were as much grown on the site as possible. caught up and put into their travel cases It is topped up with a mix of rice and for the trip. These birds are amazing – beans and fruit purchased at the local they barely even complained despite the market. Little or none of this food will August 2011 PsittaScene 5 © S Milpacher “Little or none of this food will be available to them in the forest...” be available to them in the forest, so on the block, they were being watched that would be underway at this time of one of the challenges for the on-site too.