FEATURE


own to forage in areas beyond Echo’s feeding stations – a monumental success.


The Echo team was equally amazed to discover that Isla, a confiscated adult parrot from the very first release in 2011, had paired with Johan from the second release. Together they claimed a nest box at the release site as their own and laid an egg. Although the clumsy firsttimers later cracked the egg, it was an incredible sign of the rescue’s potential.


e proper foods to eat in the wild after release.


The Release After making certain the birds passed thorough health checks, they were released in several separate groups using soft release techniques. This calm approach encourages the birds to recognise immediately the supplemental food provided for them and does not push them to fly off unprepared into the wild. By releasing some but not all the birds at the same time, the first released birds were inclined to stay around the release site while learning to forage and adjusting to a diet of wild foods. As more birds were released, the flock became progressively more adventurous, venturing out on their


BIRD SCENE 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48