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July 15

by Sam Williams

Adventures in the middle of nowhere!

Some of the older chicks now look almost like real parrots and they have real characters. I think in the next week a few will be leaving their nests. Getting them out of the cavities now typically involves a few bites but they are not yet so strong. They have become a hand full to measure and check over, and noisy too. They are typical Amazons, so feisty and ready to let you know their feelings, I love 'em!!!

I was due to revisit the tree nest Buchy had found and as we needed to take blood from the chicks Rowan and I were going together. Ro was also interested to see if a nest camera could be fitted into the nest. I thought it would be a good opportunity to show some parrot chicks to my eco-conscious friends George and Laura De Salvo. George and Laura run the islands English language newspaper and have helped me and the project endlessly. We left their Toyota at the road and took "Percy" the parrot car into the bush. After about 20 minutes driving on nondescript tracks into probably the most remote place on Bonaire we arrived at the nest.

I was shocked to see the remaining half of the tree had fallen over. Compare the pictures to those of only a few weeks ago. It was the middle of the day and we dealt with the chicks swiftly, using the car for shade. Follow the chick work we fitted the nest camera, which was easier than we had expected. After that we packed up and were ready to go only we had a flat tyre. Ok that's no problem I thought. With all hands on deck w quickly got underway but it wasn't to be so simple. First two bolts snapped clean off and then when all the remaining nuts were removed the wheel would not leave the car. We heaved but it would not budge so I got a big rock and banged the back of the wheel over and over but still it was stuck fast. It turns out the salty air corrodes the wheels and the surface the rest upon and they seize together.

We all had mobile phones but the problem was even if we gave directions only one other person we knew would find us, Buchy, but he doesn't have a car that could get there. Even on my first return visit without Buchy I got (temporarily!) lost. So it was decided I would run to George and Laura's hilux and drive back along with the air pump they have in their car. The others would keep trying and we'd work something out. Off I went with a bit of water and a phone. I'd run about 3 or 4 km when I got a call, it was Laura and they had managed to get the wheel off and put the spare on but they didn't know their way out so I would have to run back to them!!! Shortly after we all met up and drove out from the bush (which we measured to be 12km). It was a few hot hours later than we'd planned but we were still laughing.

Posted by Sam Williams on 07/15 at 02:26 PM
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July 9

by Sam Williams

Hands on

I had thought that when the chicks got bigger it would be easier to remove them from the nest. My thinking being that they would be a bit more robust and I could hook them with the ladle without needing the extreme caution I was using for the tiny chicks. In that respect they are easier to deal with but there are two other issues that have come to light. Firstly and rather obviously (when you think about it!) getting a larger chick out of an already tight cavity entrance has its complications. So far with patience I've managed to get around this though. The second and somewhat entertaining problem is that they are now able to avoid the ladle by moving around the cavity. This week I found myself dangling on the rope at a cavity, my arm up to my armpit was inside the nest holding the ladle. I couldn't see anything in there, I was working by feel alone and the last of three chicks was running around the nest doing a very good job of escaping the ladle! After several laps and a few pauses to get the blood back into my arm I got him, much to his noisy objections!

As the chicks are now a good size we've begun taking blood samples from them. Many of the chicks are now 300g and look like real parrots. We've been waiting to do this as it just seems safer and easier when the chicks are that bit bigger and stronger. We've almost got around all the known nests which it good stuff. I use the samples to look at genetic variation in the population and Rowan will look at parentage but to do that we also have to catch mum and dad.

We are putting renewed efforts into catching adult birds and at the moment we are focusing on the breeding birds. For my interest focusing on these individuals isn't entirely necessary but it is for Rowan because of the parentage stuff. It would be near impossible to target specific breeding birds once they are away from the nest so we have to do it now. Later we can target areas where we may hope to catch more individuals (whom we aren't familiar with), which would be better for my interests.

While we have the adult birds they are rung with a unique color combination and we take a blood sample. When working on the birds we are continually checking they are ok. If either of us has any concern over the bird's welfare we act on it immediately. That is the absolute priority.

With colour rings on individuals we can identify them with certainty when we see them again afterwards. We are also taking some body measurements, such as weight, beak size and wing length. With this information it may be possible to see if there has been a selection pressure acting on the Bonaire parrot population. Perhaps birds with ever-so-slightly larger beaks are better able to exploit the food resource on this island.

So far we ourselves have not given a major blood sample of our own but we have each now experienced the wrath of an angry amazon. I slipped up and the male of a pair well and truly got a hold of my finger last week and this week while I was holding the bird Rowan's finger got a bit close and the bird instantly grabbed it. It is fair play really!

Posted by Sam Williams on 07/09 at 02:23 PM
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July 1

by Sam Williams

Sad Times

This week has been another week with mixed news. On Monday night we heard that someone had shot 8 adult parrots and that they had been hung on a gate. So first thing on Tuesday morning I visited the place where they were said to be and sure enough there were dead birds, three parrots and a troupial. The location was a kind of allotment and coincidentally the owner passed while I was there. I learned that he did not know who had killed the birds or why they birds were hung on his gate. There were 8 but something had taken the other ones ( a cat?). It seems as though someone was trying to make a statement but this is odd as it is not the time when the parrots damage crops. The news made the front page of the local newspaper, which is good in a way as it shows people are disgusted by this act. It is unlikely that any legal action will be taken because nobody claims to know who did it and anyway the person apparently has to be caught in the act. What is worst in my mind is that these may have been precious breeding adults that may have been on chicks. I took samples for DNA analysis from the dead birds and remains I found nearby. As you can imagine this was not a pleasant thing to do but hopefully we can take something away from this tragic event.

Yesterday we confirmed a further loss. Rowan was concerned about a nest following three hours of observations when the typically clockwork parents did not appear. I abseiled to the nest but found it empty without a trace of chicks or what may have taken them. This nest is halfway down a 20 meter cliff and to access the chicks involves a great deal of discomfort. In truth is probably the hardest nest to get to the chicks. For that reason, but also because the chicks were still young (the oldest being less than 3 weeks of age. I do not think it was poachers. Further observations may give us a clue of what it was...

The good news is that our friend Buchy (picture coming soon!) found another nest and it's in a tree. I went along with him one morning and he showed me where it was and one of his chick extraction tricks. The cavity has formed relatively recently when part of this tree has fallen. Buchy says it is less than two years old, which is probably why no one has chain-sawed it yet! The chicks are actually on the ground and the nest entrance is only hip height. I revisited the nest, which was a test as its miles down no descript tracks and I have broken the GPS. Then using a combination of Buchy's technique and the magic ladle I got the chicks out. All three were the most well stuffed chicks I have ever seen. Their crops were ready to burst! I quickly weighed and measured each chick and then put rings on them before returning them safely to their home. They are the youngest that I know of right now so I'm really happy that Buchy found them and I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop.

News of dead parrots in the local newspaper


New-found nest in tree


"Magic ladle technique" to remove and inspect chicks



One well-fed and happy fellow!


Measuring a wing



Beautiful photo of parrot habitat

Posted by Sam Williams on 07/01 at 02:04 PM
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June 24

by Sam Williams

Tools of the trade and lesson learned!

In an earlier post I said I was going to get a ladle to help extract chicks from the nest. Well I now have an array of plastic kitchenware available for this task and they have been invaluable. I have three that I tend use and my favourite is the "magic ladle". For some nests the magic ladle is a bit big though so I also have a big plastic serving spoon and a fish slice. The latter has been modified and is specific to one nest! The nest is narrow and deep (horizontally) so I cut the fish slice down, sanded the edges and mounted it on a short wooden pole. I can now slot it behind a chick and gently encourage him or her to move towards the front of the cavity where upon I grab him (or her!).

The magic ladle has been the best tool but I did got a big scare whilst trying to extract chicks from one deep (vertical) nest. I had abseiled to the cavity and found that although I could just touch the chicks I couldn't get hold of them. I took the ladle and I tried to gently work it into place and scoop a chick. The cavity was tight and I had to change my position to get my arm at a better angle but at that moment I dropped the ladle! I knew immediately this could be a disaster. If the parents returned with the ladle still in there they might freak out and abandon the nest.

I urgently forced my arm into the cavity as hard as I could but I could not reach the ladle at all. I took a twig from a plant growing on the cliff but though I could touch it I still could not get the ladle out. After a few minutes I knew I didn't have the solution so I climbed back up the cliff, pulled the rope up but left all the climbing gear in place. Then I ran through the bush back to the car and drove home where I collected every possible tool I could lay my hands on. When I got back to the nest I took the plumbers grips (long handled pliers) and duct taped some wire to the handle so I couldn't drop them too. I quickly abseiled to the nest, it then only took a few goes and I had the ladle. I was almost in tears with relief. Having been at the nest for a while I decided to leave the chicks and get out of there quickly to let normal service resume. Thankfully everything seemed to be fine and the parents didn't have any issues. I learnt a very important lesson; don't put anything in a nest that you cannot get out. So now the magic ladle and every other bit of nest inspecting equipment now has a length of climbing cord attached to it so that can not happen again.

Chick being weighed

Posted by Sam Williams on 06/24 at 02:17 PM
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