FEATURE
including Blue-crowned Conures, Cactus Conures, and Blue-winged Parrotlets. The second project focused on food for
these macaws and the subsistence farmers whose crops they raided. The favoured food of Lear’s Macaws is Licuri Palm nuts, but many such trees have been cleared for farmland, so the parrots have taken to eating the corncobs (maize) grown by the farmers. Since 2007, 5,200 sacks of corn have been given out to farmers whose crops have been ravaged by the birds. Each farm is assessed for the degree of loss, and the corn sacks are provided by way of compensation, supported by donations from groups such as the PSUK. Farmers are then less inclined to shoot the parrots as pests. Steve informed us that in the 1980s there were thought to be as few as 60 Lear’s Macaws left in this area, but that number had risen to 1400 by 2014. Longer-term management of the problem centres on growing Licuri Palms in secure plantations, to provide the birds with their natural food source. To this end, and to mark its 50th anniversary, the PSUK had arranged to plant 50 young palm trees, in an area that had been cleared and fenced off against goats and cattle. The area was remote, involving a drive of over an hour in 4x4 vehicles along rough sandy tracks, but the representative party from the Society successfully planted the 50 palms, and saw Lear’s Macaws to boot!
Finally, Steve told us about the Aquasis
project to support the Grey-breasted Parakeets, again involving habitat protection, but also the provision of artificial nest boxes and education. The group had built a visitor centre, using recycled materials, giving tourists and local people information about these birds, and selling souvenirs to help fund the project. The centre had attracted 6000 visitors so far in 2016. Natural nest holes in trees were disappearing, due to habitat destruction, so many artificial boxes were deployed in safe, protected, private grounds. The PSUK had funded the purchase of a motorbike to make access to some of these remote sites easier.
BIRD SCENE 19
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