Blue-fronted Amazon Project

Category: Pantanal, Video | Date: Oct 22 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

Vandir and I shot this movie a while ago, of a young parrot equipped with a radio transmitter being fed by one of its parents. Can you see the antenna?!

This was a male young parrot, which received the transmitter in November 2007, three days before its first flight.

The objective of this monitoring is to follow the young on its first months, to verify the behavior and health status. We monitor the birds every month, by direct observation, with a receptor and a portable directional antenna. The coordinates of these birds will are used to determine its home range by the minimum convex polygon method.

This is the first time that we had registered this kind of images! We are very happy to share them with you! We intend to acquire more radio transmitters with the support of the donors, to get to know even better about this species.

I hope you like it!

And keep an eye in our blog, as more and more videos are coming soon! ;0)

Glaucia

Tags: Parrot, radiotransmitter, Video

4 responses so far

Category: Field Work, Pantanal, Partners, Support, Team | Date: Oct 21 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

In July, the Blue-fronted Amazon Project received the professor MSc. Elaine A. Carvalho dos Anjos, actual coordinator of the Biologic Sciences course of the Dom Bosco Catholic University (UCDB) (http://www.bducdb.ucdb.br), at Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. In August 2008, the Neotropica Foundation of Brazil (http://www.fundacaoneotropica.org.br) established a partnership with the UCDB, allowing their students to participate on the Blue-fronted Amazon Project. Since then, the Project has received many UCDB students and volunteers, and in that field trip, Elaine and I created new goals for this promising partnership.

^{Image: Glaucia Seixas}

^{Image: Glaucia Seixas}

Elaine taking notes and watching parrots with Vandir.

In September, the Project received two special guests that, in addition to Joao and Vandir, contributed a lot to our field activities. One of them was the biologist Lucia Maria Monteiro, the project manager of the the Neotropica Foundation of Brazil. Lucia works at the headquarters of the Neotropica Foundation of Brazil, at Bonito, and currently coordinates the Guia ECOnsciente Project, financed by the CITI Foundation. Her 5-day visit to our Project had the goal to increase the exchange of expertise between the different projects of the Neotropica Foundation of Brazil. We believe that this manner we can amplify the nature conservation actions at Mato Grosso do Sul state.

^{Image: Glaucia Seixas}

Lucia holding a nestling.

^{Image: João Augusto}

^{Image: Beatriz Caminha}

Lucia and the rest of the team, measuring the nestlings and preparing the rapel.

Our second guest was Beatriz Caminha, who has being a great collaborator of our Project. For three days, Beatriz assisted in our field activities, with the monitoring of nests, eggs, and nestlings of Blue-fronted Amazon in Pantanal.

^{Image: Lucia Monteiro}

Beatriz and I measuring a nestling.

^{Image: Lucia Monteiro}

The team monitoring a nest.

^{Image: Glaucia Seixas}

Vandir and Beatriz  are counting parrots at a roosting site at Aquidauana river.

^{Image: Glaucia Seixas}

Beatriz and Lucia, watching the parrots.

^{Image: Glaucia Seixas}

Beatriz and João opening the  field gate.

 ^{Image: Lucia Monteiro}

Vandir monitoring a nest,  while Beatriz and I are taking biometry measurements of a nestling.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for their help, pictures, opening fieldgate, annotations, and also for ’sharing in’ mosquitoes and ticks with us! We hope they have enjoyed the experience and that they keep helping the Project, more and more each time! Hope to have you again in the field with us sometime soon!

Hugs,

Glaucia Seixas

One response so far

Category: Donation, Field Work, Pantanal, Support | Date: Jul 18 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

The reproductive season is coming, and that is when we have to double our work load to monitor 200+ tree cavities and check the eggs and nestlings. But it’s not only the work load that increases this time of the year… our costs doubles as well. And I am very worried on how to continue the Project’s activities, particularly this year, due the low financial support and donations. Yes, I do apply for grants, but I get almost always the same answer… “We understand the importance of your Project; however, we need to give priority to endangered species”. Ok, we do need to protect endangered species. But we also need to avoid threatened species to become endangered!! Otherwise, we are always trying to mediate the problem, rather than preventing it from the beginning.

A couple of weeks ago, in our last field trip, our jeep broke again… We had to stop the data collection and go back to the city to have it fixed. It is a 1994 Vitara, Suzuki, which I bought used on 2004. Needless to say that I bought it from my own pocket – I don’t even know how much money I’ve invested on the Project to keep it running. Maybe putting our own money in our project is something that every researcher does at some point – but now I’ll no longer be able to financially support the Project.

I understand that the financial crisis is affecting everyone, but I also believe that actions to preserve the nature are fundamental to maintain our life quality in the present and for the future. Maybe we should realize that each of us can do a little bit, and that all together we can do a lot more.

We are in depth grateful for every single donation. But we need more help and support to continue the Project. I work for the parrots’ conservation with all my heart and I’ll keep doing it until I no longer can. And I won’t allow the negative answers of funding requests to put me down. Give a deep breath, and keep thinking other ways to find funding sources – that’s what I am going to do.

If you can help us, either by donations, of by helping marketing the Project (or in any other way you might think it could help), please do so.

I want to express here my sincere thanks for those who have been heping us during all these years, either by financial and logistic support, partnership, and volunteering. Muito Obrigada! Thank you very much!

Tags: Car, Donantion, Field Work

8 responses so far

Category: Field Work, Pantanal | Date: Jul 17 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

We have just got back from a field trip to Pantanal. Over there, Vandir and I counted the parrots under a cold 8°C weather, with some showers. For us, this is a very cold winter, and we had to wear many layers to stay warm! The reproductive season starts next month, in August. So in this trip, we fixed some nests that were damaged due wind, rain, or even tree deterioration, making sure that the entrance and bottom of the cavities are fine, so the parrots can use them for nesting in this upcoming season. We also closed some entrances that would allow predation, and added some bedding on the nest. Hopefully next month, these cavities will be used and we will find some eggs, which will develop in wonderful nestlings!

Here I am, trying to keep warm while registering the data!

Vandir checking the cavity.

Here Vandir is closing an entrance that would allow predation.

Bedding in the nest.

Tags: Cavities, Trees, Winter

No responses yet

Category: Diet, Pantanal | Date: Jul 16 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

On the first part of my PhD dissertation, I analyzed the feeding behavior of the Blue-fronted Amazon. Once a month, from July 2005 to Dec 2007, my team and I used trails in different environments in Pantanal to observe the parrots.

I registered 1,349 Blue-fronted Amazon eating flowers, fruits, and seeds from 48 different plant species. The high seed consumption indicates that this parrot is mainly a graminivore of canopy trees. In general, the Blue-fronted Amazon is a generalist, with a very diverse diet, in response to the intense variety of resources in a seasonal and heterogeneous environment, such as Pantanal. Our next step will be to evaluate the nutritional composition of the Blue-fronted Amazon diet, with the collaboration of researches from different institutions.

Parrot eating flowers of the Caribbean Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia aurea).

Vandir and I checking the trees.

Tags: Diet, Pantanal, Parrot, PhD

2 responses so far

Category: Award, Pantanal | Date: Jul 06 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

Hi everyone! I think I need to start apologizing for the lack of posts for the past few months… The Project continues very active, with many field trips. But I have been super busy finalizing my PhD dissertation (on Ecology and Conservation, Mato Grosso do Sul Federal University), and I did not have any time to post some news in the blog…

Well, finally, on June 22nd, I defended my dissertation, on a 12-year long study about the Blue-fronted Amazon, which is divided in three chapters: feeding ecology (3-year observation period), collective roosting sites (4-year observation period), and reproductive success (12-year observation period). Many people directly contributed to data collection, such as our field technician Vandir, several externs, biologists, veterinarians, and zootechnists, and, of course, the essential orientation of Prof. Dr. José Ragusa Netto/UFMS Três Lagoas. The material and financial support of many people and institutions was fundamental for this study. The Project continues, aiming to help the development of conservation plans for this species and its environment.

I would like to thanks everyone who direct or indirectly helped the Project, and to share with you the happiness of having concluded my PhD degree! And I promise new posts soon!!

Tags: Pantanal, Parrot, PhD

2 responses so far

Category: Nestlings, Pantanal, Team | Date: Feb 13 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

The reproductive season of the blue-fronted parrot at Pantanal occurs always between July and December. On July, the couples start to look and compete for cavities in trees to make their nests. In August they start to lay the eggs (with an interval of 2 to 15 days between eggs) which will be incubated for about 28 days.

Female in the nest.

Just born chick.

Females taking care of the nest.

The nestling are featherless, and have their eyes closed; and in my opinion they are wonderful! But not everyone agrees with that… ;0)

They stay 54-60 days in the nest, under extreme careful parental care. And around November/December, they are ready for their first flight!

These guys are ready for their first flight!

On 2008, we monitored 155 cavities on trees (which have been previously used as nest), from which 51 were used for nesting this reproductive season. The nests had anything between 1 and 5 eggs each, with a total of 131 eggs. Many eggs were lost, either due natural predation or rain/wind. Sixty-four parrots hatched, and around 40 of them made through their first flight (and were leg banded). We wish them good luck and a long life. Happy with this success we continue our work for their conservation.

Some more pictures for you… Enjoy!

Here I am checking a nest!

And Vandir is checking this one.

Everyone helps to check the equipments, to make sure everything is working properly.

Veronica is monitoring some chicks.

These guys grow fast! We need to measure them often to monitor their development.

3 responses so far

Category: Pantanal, Partners, Support, Team | Date: Jan 02 2009 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

Many days have passed since my last post, and, sadly, many other blue fronted nestlings have arrived at the CRAS (Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center/Environmental Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul state)… A total of 788 seized nestlings were brought to the CRAS on 2008. Certainly hundreds of other nestlings died on the action of the smugglers.
But we also had a lot of good news. We have been very busy and active in the field, checking the growth of the blue fronted nestlings, as well as other psittacines species. Many people got involved and helped us with the conservation of this parrot, either by volunteering at the field, or supporting our work (partnerships and material/financial support).

We ended 2008 with the certainty that we still have a lot of work to do for the conservation… However, we also have the conviction that we are not alone, and that more and more people are getting involved with the nature conservation. This manner, we would like to express our deep and sincere thanks to everyone, and wish you all a wonderful 2009!
A huge hug,
Glaucia Seixas and Team

Tags: 2009, Pantanal, Parrot

2 responses so far

Category: Nestlings, Pantanal, illegal wildlife trade | Date: Oct 06 2008 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

Other 225 nestling parrots were seized last week by the Military Police at Mato Grosso do Sul state!!! Now they sum 600 blue-fronted parrots and 16 yellow-faced parrots, taken from their nests to supply the (national and international) illegal animal trade – only on this reproductive season!!! These animals are now receiving health care at the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center (CRAS) at Campo Grande. Since it was created 20 years ago, the CRAS has received thousands and thousands of blue-fronted parrot nestlings. Most of them captured on the board of Sao Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul states. The smugglers know this area pretty well, and sometimes stairs are left year-round at the nest-threes to facilitate the capture on the following reproductive season!  This year the illegal capture of these animals was unquestionably very intense; however, it will take three to four years for this huge decrease of recruitment to affect the wild population of parrots – about when the parrots would start their reproduction. The Blue-fronted Parrot Project aims to raise public awareness about the consequences of this uncontrolled illegal capture of the parrots. For the part decade we have been trying to instruct public not to acquire/buy those animals for pets – no consumers/buyers, no reason for the smugglers to capture them.We hope to come back with some better news next time.

12 responses so far

Category: Education, Nestlings, Pantanal, illegal wildlife trade | Date: Oct 01 2008 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

On Sept 19^th, after receiving an anonymous call, the Environmental Military Police made the seizure of 377 offspring of parrots - the largest ever held in Mato Grosso do Sul. Fifty-three, out of the 377 nestlings, died. Fifteen were yellow-faced parrots (Amazona xanthops), and the rest were blue-fronted parrots (A. aestiva). The parrots were being transported in boxes of vegetables and came from Ivinhema (approximately 290 km from Campo Grande) and the smugglers were using kids to collect the nestlings and eggs from the nests. The animals were brought to the Center for Rehabilitation of Wild Animals (CRAS) in Campo Grande, where they are receiving health care from the CRAS personnel, under the coordination of Vinicius Andrade Lopes. Sadly, the blue-fronted amazon parrot is still illegally collected in Brazil. It is a very popular parrot, due its ability to mimic sounds – being able to imitate words and phrases. This illegal capture directly decreases the recruitment of this species, and compromises its ability for further reproduction, as most of the nest-cavities are destroyed by the smugglers in order to gain access to the nests. These animals will stay at least for one year at CRAS and might be released after that. I met with Vinicius to discuss the necessary strategies in order to prevent the illegal wildlife trade, as raise public awareness and monitoring. It is very sad for us to see all these animals, knowing that they are only a small fraction of all the animals captured every year. But we will keep fighting for them and their environment. We will use all our efforts to fight against the illegal wildlife trade, and aware public about the importance of this and all the other wildlife species in Pantanal. We won’t give up. We will never give up.

Tags: Illegal Animal Trade, Nestlings, Pantanal

2 responses so far