Blue-fronted Amazon Project

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: 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: Education, Partners, Support, Team | Date: Aug 12 2008 | By: Blue-fronted Amazon

On 1993, a group of friends, concerned about the conservation of natural resources, gathered to create a non-governmental organization called Fundacao Netropica do Brasil. During these 15 year of work, Neotropica promoted and practiced nature conservation at Mato Grosso do Sul state through countless projects. There were many challenges, conquests and results (http://www.fundacaoneotropica.org.br/). The Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot Project is among the many ongoing projects. We are glad to be part of this story! Our sincere thanks to the team members, council, partners, collaborators, patrons, and encouragers for the success thus far!!!  

Tags: Education, Partner, Support, Team

2 responses so far

Category: Field Work, Team | Date: Sep 28 2007 | By: admin

This is Vandir Fernandes, 52 years old, the field technician of the Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot Project. He has been working with the Project since it started, in 1997; and has participated on every single field trip. He has several qualities and is a good friend of everybody. He is well known in all the farms, as “Seu Vandir”.

He does the entire “hard job”, like to carry the stairs, and also the “risky job”, as go up to the parrot’s nests to monitor the eggs, or stay on a branch of a tree in a river’ margin. To have access to the parrot’s nests in the trees is several times necessary to use of rappel technique or stairs (used when the tree is dead).

He also helps on the training of extern college students, who have a lot to learn with his experience.

He is always present when we try to aware children and “Pantaneiros” (people who live in Pantanal).

With rain or flood areas, he is always engaged in parrots’ conservation! Thank you Vandir!

2 responses so far

Category: Field Work, Team | Date: Sep 27 2007 | By: admin

Glaucia Seixas began her career at a Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center, which every year receives, rehabilitees and find a destiny for hundreds of nestlings of Blue-fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva). These birds are captured from their nests at Pantanal, Brazil for supply the national and international illegal animal trade. Concerned with the parrots, Glaucia Seixas begun your work for the species’ conservation on 1997, called “BLUE-FRONTED PARROT PROJECT”. Since then, Since 2004 she has dedicated herself exclusively for the BLUE-FRONTED PARROT PROJECT, trough a non-governmental organization, the Fundacao Neotropica do Brasil.

Gláucia conducts research and conservation to raise awareness and to protect the Blue-fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) which is threatened by the illegal capture of this parrot from their natural habitat.

One response so far