What a busy and emotional few weeks it has been for the parrot team! Right now 7 chicks have fledged. In the nests that we are monitoring a further 14 grumpy chicks are getting ready to go. About two weeks prior to fledging the chicks actually weigh more than their parents but then they loose weight as the parents basically starve them in order to leave their cosy nests and jump into the big wide world. So when we go to conduct a nest inspection the chicks are more cantankerous than ever.
We were really happy because the number of nest we are monitoring has gone up as we found a couple more nests sites while out working. Rowan actually got suspicious of some parrots while out running and with a minor diversion added another nest to the list. The parrot team's work never stops!
Yet more parrot chicks have been lost but the relatively good news is that this was not due to people stealing them from their nest. The sad news comes from a cliff nest high up on a 20m rock wall. This is always an exciting nest to inspect. You would have to hang on the rope with a good 12-14m of air below you while you checked the progress inside the dark cavity. Rowan and Rhian had noticed an increasing number of bees visiting the nest over the previous week and so when it came to be my turn to check the nest it was with great trepidation that I descended down the cliff.
The honey bees we find around the cliffs are not native to Bonaire, they are introduced from Europe. Thankfully they are not the aggressive Africanised bee. This was little consolation when as soon as I saw the nest entrance I could see plenty of bees. I approached slowly but as I drew closer the bees were clearly getting upset. We know these cues pretty well by now and the parrot team have had more than their share of stings. Being stuck on a rope is not a nice feeling when bees starting bumping into your head, to suggest you leave the area.
I was desperate to find out if the chicks were still alive although I knew there was little I could do to help them. The bees were getting agitated and so I just released my descending device fully and instantly dropped down the rope, my heart in my mouth. All I saw as I plummeted past the nest were two parrot chicks lying face down, dead.
The bees flared up but luckily for me they drew off their chase about 3 meters from the ground and I escaped without a single sting. That was little comfort for the loss of parrot chicks that were otherwise going to fledge within a week. We had known them since they were eggs. We had delicately handled and measured them since they were pink bundles of joy weighing little more than a £2 coin. It was heart breaking and we were not even the parents.
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