Three young Scarlet Macaws were released on April 5, 2012. These birds have already paired up and two pairs are being monitored that have nested in areas away from the Visitors Entrance. These Macaws have chosen trees and not the manmade nests.
Second Release Scarlet Macaws Copan, Honduras April 5, 2012
Alex from Macaw Mountain with the Stars of the Parrot Festival
Huge Colorful Birds on Stilts were part of the Macaw Festival in Copan Ruinas
On March 11, 2012, Copan Association along with Macaw Mountain Bird Sanctuary held the first annual Parrot Festival for their bilateral project “Guaras en Libertad, La Belleza Regresa”. This Festival was attended by hundreds from the area who participated in dance contests, viewed “Macaw Art” from 31 area schools who received educational Modules on the Scarlet Macaw during 2011. The stars of the show, two Scarlet Macaws from Macaw Mountain were the most photographed. The festival was funded by the Copan Maya Foundation and will become an annual event.
AST High School Environmental Club in Tegucigalpa, Honduras held a fundraiser on March 17 with proceeds going to support the “Guaras en Libertad La Belleza Regresa” project. The Club made special “Macaw Cookies” which were the biggest seller and also had other “Macaw Themed” items for sale. Thank you Pucci for all of your help!!!!!
AST High School Environmental Club's table during Family Day
AST High School Environmental Club's Table
Macaw Cookies! Best Seller!
DONATION RECEIVED FROM HAGEN FOODS
Denis Moulin traveled from Canada to Honduras to present a cash donation along with vitamins and Parrot food to Lloyd Davidson owner of Macaw Mountain Bird Sanctuary for the “Guaras en Libertad, La Belleza Regresa” project
Lloyd Davidson receives a vitamin and food donation from Denis Malouin Hagen Foods
The Educational Component begins again, February is the beginning of the new school year here in Honduras. Copan Maya Foundation has funded the Macaw Educational Program for nine additional schools. This means that 610 more children will receive the educational modules during the next 9 months of the school year. Download the educational modules through this website. The Macaw Festival will be held in March with all area schools being invited to attend, prizes, quiz-es, stop by if you are in Copan!
Three young Scarlet Macaws have been separated from their mothers at the Macaw Mountain Bird Sanctuary where they will be in a large holding aviary until being introduced into the release aviary at Copan’s Archaeological Site y funded last year by Hugo Boss, and then released into the general population with the release scheduled for April 5, 2012.
Macaw Mountain has put in new Signage explaining the “Guaras en Libertad, La Belleza Regresa” to the visitors. They are in Spanish and English
Macaw Mountain Bird Sanctuary has opened its Information Area to include the importance of the Scarlet Macaw and its history with the ancient Maya.
On November 7 the last Educational Module #9 was handed out to the 31 schools participating in the program. Guaras en Libertad La Belleza Regresa. Below are links to PDF files of each Module (at present, these Modules are available in Spanish only) if you would like to use them for educational purposes. If you do we would like to hear from you on their success, etc. If you have questions or want to know more about the Educational Program please write liz_copanmaya@yahoo.com. Our Festival de las Guaras is scheduled for December with all schools and students being invited to participate. We will show all of the handiwork that each school presented during the year that at present is on display at Casa K’inich Children’s Museum in Copan Ruinas.
Módulo 1. Hábitat de la guara roja
Módulo 2. Características de la guara roja
Módulo 3. Alimentación de la Guara Roja
Módulo 5. La Guara Roja en la Antigua Cultura Maya
Módulo 6. Amenazas para la Guara Roja
Módulo 7. La Guara Roja dentro del Mundo Maya en Copán
Módulo 8. Conservación de la Guara Roja
Módulo 9. Guaras en LibertadMódulo 9. Guaras en LibertadMódulo 9. Guaras en Libertad
Also, the last visits to the schools with the live parrots were finished as the school year ends in November. Below are some photos of the 2500 children who participated!
These are some of the handmade projects the schools have submitted over the year.
Adult Education Signs have been posted in strategic locations, the local market area, hardware stores, on paths throughout the valley. This reinforces the training the children are receiving in the schools. We will complete this week the parrot visits to the local schools. Live parrots were taken to each classroom in 31 schools, 2500 children have touched or had the parrots sit on their shoulders. It also benefited the local population as many family members also visited the schools when they heard the live parrots would be visiting from Macaw Mountain. Thank you to the volunteers, drivers, and especially to the very patient birds who really seemed to have enjoyed the trips over the past eight months.
Although food is put out for the wild macaws in the Archaeological Park, it is important that the general population of visitors not feed the macaws so that they will adapt to looking for food or only eating the healthy food provided for them. For this reason signs were posted so that this practice would stop.
Copan Association and World Parrot Trust visited the facilities in Zacate Grande where conservations efforts of Scarlet Macaws have been taking place for a number of years:
Visit to Macaw Sanctuary in Zacate Grande
Modulo # 6 ” Threats to the Scarlet Macaw ” was presented in the area schools in August with Modulo Number 7 “The Scarlet Macaw in Copan Maya Society” being released today. All seven educational modules are available for free download through this website.
Módulo 6. Amenazas para la Guara Roja
Módulo 7. La Guara Roja dentro del Mundo Maya en Copán
On Saturday 23 at 10:00am, the first releasing of Scarlet Macaws into the Copan Archeological Park took place. They are part of the project “GUARAS EN LIBERTAD LA BELLEZA REGRESA”. Honduran Vice-president, Maria Antonieta Bogran, was in attendance.
Five macaws which are part of a breeding project at Macaw Mountain were released after having spent 3 weeks in a conditioning aviary located at the site. All were assessed as healthy prior to release and had closed rings with information codes, and microchips in their bodies to assist with long-term identification. Immediately on release they took to the forest at the archaeological site.
Picture courtesy of Eileen Agurcia.
We are working hard in the monitoring process; and have placed six feeding stations all over the site where the other wild macaws visit, ensuring that they find food during their initial adapting time.
Finally 5 birds were transferred from Macaw Mountain to the aviary for the liberation of the Archaeological Park. 3 Of them are chicks born in 2010 and 2 adults, one of them come from the archaeological park but was transferred to the bird park Macaw Mountain for its recovery. They have all been marked with microchips, metal rings and blood samples were taken for can birds and make genetic studies.
The birds have adapted successfully to the aviary, taking constant visits from other wild macaws. Soon to be released and will join members of the macaws that already live in freedom in the Archaeological Park.
5 scarlet Macaws inside the release aviary.
The breeding pairs of Macaw Mountain are in full breeding season; two of them are incubating (3 eggs in each nest) and 3 more couples they are defending the nest box by what we hope will encourage the first egg soon. These chicks will be bred by parents in the facilities of Macaw Mountain and will be released in a future in the Archaeological Park.
Breeding pair with three eggs in Macaw Mountain Bird Park.
In the Archaeological Park 4 chicks have been born this season and currently 3 of them survive. The two largest have already left the nest, with a difference of 6 days between the two. They can be seen in the vicinity of the nesting site, in the company of the couple. The last we hope that it will be flying by the end of August.
We have been working on their diets, trying to get the best food for these birds at the archeological site., and we hope to improve their conditions in the area, also we have been identifying their natural tree fruits around the site so they can look for their own food.
About educational program we have been visiting many schools and many teachers and students are responding very well!!
The childs enjoy the experience.
The signs are up, the roof is up, and the feeding facility is operating, next to it is the release facility.
During the next couple of weeks birds will be chosen from Macaw Mountain to be introduced into the Archaeological Park release facility where they will stay for a couple of weeks to get adjusted.
During the pictures taking yesterday, one of the babies came out! The mother pushed him back into the underground nest but he was determined and came back out in time to get his picture taken!
One of the baby Scarlet Macaws emerges for the first time
A busy week for the Guaras en Libertad project; on the 13 of June the fourth educational module was given to the area schools and a winner for the second module was announced. El Tigre, a small school in the mountains which has 29 students won for their Mobile of Scarlet Macaws that had been colored by the children. The were given a diploma of recognition and school supplies.
The Feeding Facility is almost complete. The structure is located next to the Release Aviary inside the Archaeological Park. The roofing material is being placed and the signage will be put in the week of June 20. There has been a lot of interest from the visitors to the Archaeological Park and plans are being made to have a course of education for the tour guides in the Park.
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