Watching wild parrot chicks develop is such a privilege and can be a lot of fun too. Parrot nests do get predated though and loosing chicks can be heartbreaking. In the last couple of weeks we have seen a lot of nest failures and it’s been a hard time here on Bonaire. Overall the nests we monitored in 2006 generally experienced remarkably high reproductive success. This year we’ve been able to find and follow more nests due to the help of project volunteers but overall the success rate we’ve seen has dropped. The interesting thing is the new nest we’ve found are the ones that have suffered. Maybe our sample from last year was a bit biased and it’s just that those particular pairs have the best nests or some other quality that gives them the upper hand. The dreaded data analysis that will take place through the British winter may reveal what it is….
Ben Hatchwell one of our supervisors has been out for a visit to see what we are up to and give us some suggestions. It seems he brought the British weather with him as on the morning Rowan took him out to observe the parrot pairs there was a huge downpour, the kind that happens only once or twice a year here. We are so lucky really as we hardly ever have adverse weather. It was nice for us to be able to show Ben the situation here. Some things about Bonaire make research a treat, the climate, the low vegetation, the community support for example. Other details, however, make it difficult and these include the spikeyness of the vegetation, the distance between nests and nest access.
Reading over what I’ve written I realise I’m full of mixed emotions for my work and I think this is pretty typical of an intense field season. A morning of nest checks may have you riding on high as you check over some cute parrot chicks at one nest, swiftly followed by a real low when you discover all the chicks from the next nest are gone without trace. The whole experience is something very special and as I said at the start, it is a real privelege. It’s great to be doing what I do and to be here on Bonaire.
Oh and in response to Cristiana’s comment….
I am as amazed as you are at how they manage to land and climb around on the cacti!!! My guess is that relatively the cacti spines are big enough for the parrots to climb around on. I’ve actually just put some video on ParrotWatch.org of a parrot sat nest to two parakeets on a cacti. I hope you’ll like it.
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