Things in the office are going well. This month I had to give a presentation in the department and before that I wanted to get some statistics done. From the data I collected I can show how the parrots are associated with habitat structure and other species of birds that are present. I’ve also found a relationship between the same factors and reproductive success. Once I get things a bit clearer for myself I’ll put some of them up on the blog.
Each year on Bonaire a “Lora count” is held in the non-breeding season. In the winter months the birds flock together in fewer areas and roost in large numbers. The Lora count involves volunteers from the local community going to each of the various roost locations and estimating the number of parrots they see. The exciting news for me is that I will make a short visit to Bonaire in January 2007 to help in the preparation of the count and also to maximise the media coverage the event gets which helps towards positive parrot awareness! I hope to be involved with the training of volunteers as counting incorrect species such as the endemic conure (which also has a green body and yellow head) may be a bit of an issue, and recounting appears to have been a problem too. I will also go out in the week or so prior to the count and get my own feeling for the number of birds visiting each location.
Having a good estimate of the population size will be really useful for my research. When the breeding season begins I will then be in a position where I can estimate the proportion of the parrot population breeding. When I then combine this information with the reproductive success data I will be able to make much better predictions of where the parrot’s population is likely to go under different management scenarios. In other words: Will the population grow or go extinct if poaching continues? Will there be more parrots in 50 years if we improve their food supply or will replacing the nest sites destroyed by poachers have a more positive impact?
So that’s at the end of January, I’ll report next when I return from there. After that I’ll be making final preparations for the full season which, for me will begin at the end of March. We are looking for volunteers to assist the project so if you think you know someone that could be interested please take at look at my university website for more information http://www.parrot.group.shef.ac.uk
Season’s greetings and best wishes for the New Year.
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