Moon Rising Over Macaws in Guyana
Yupukari Village, Guyana March 2018
From sun up to sun down, researching red-bellied macaws in the Rupununi savannah The Rupununi savannah in Guyana is full of life. Hard to traverse due to flooding much of the year, it is now March 2018 and we are driving along paths that we could have swum or boated over in the rainy season. We approach Yupukari village in Guyana to continue our investigation or parrots that started in October 2017. One of our target species is the red-bellied macaw that roosts, nests, and feeds in the Ite palm oases throughout the area.
Pair checking out a nest or roosting cavity in Ite palm trunk We use a population counting technique known as Fixed Point Transects that allow one to get a rapid assessment of the minimum number of distinct individuals in an area. For this particular count we had 3 points spread out over 4.5 kilometers. These points are really too far apart to get a precise count, and we don’t mind so much because this is just a preliminary survey to see how many birds they might be here and how use the oases. We also want to discover what might be the best methods for counting this species in this habitat.
Double-stripped thick-knee and chick in savannah, spied on our way to set up points for the count
In our short time there of conducting only one formal count we found that counting these birds between oases is challenging, or even in one oasis. They sleep communally in cavities in the same trees where they perch. This basically means that we lose sight of them and cannot be sure if they moved off or staid in a particular area.
Point #1 in our 3-point transect They are also incredibly squirrely and swirly birds. They may approach an oasis in one flock, but then they spit off, presumably in family groups or multiple families, and then these groups recombine with other groups or pairs, take off flying again, swirl around the oasis, pick up more birds, and either land again (and again) or head off to another oasis. For this reason, we can only offer an estimate of 253 red-bellied macaws observed along this 4.5 kilometers. It will take repeated counts to narrow down the precision and to perfect the technique.
Eating Ite palm fruits and preening as part of their day Normally this is not a species that conservationists emphasize monitoring because they are not threatened, although there does seem to be an overall population decrease across its wide range. Here in the Rupununi not much is known about this species, and it might be an indicator of generally how well the biome is doing and what the trapping pressure might be on parrots in general.
Moon rising at the end of our count as we finish our sunup to sundown day int the field I for one would love to continue studying this species because there is nothing like an energetic parrot flying in front of a rising moon to stimulate one’s sense of awe and beauty, this despite how hard they are to count! Thanks to Brian, Danika, Marcellus, and Peo for this first fixed transect count of macaws in the area!
Thanks to Marcellus, conservation guide for Yupukari and Caiman House
From sun up to sun down, researching red-bellied macaws in the Rupununi savannah The Rupununi savannah in Guyana is full of life. Hard to traverse due to flooding much of the year, it is now March 2018 and we are driving along paths that we could have swum or boated over in the rainy season. We approach Yupukari village in Guyana to continue our investigation or parrots that started in October 2017. One of our target species is the red-bellied macaw that roosts, nests, and feeds in the Ite palm oases throughout the area. Pair checking out a nest or roosting cavity in Ite palm trunk We use a population counting technique known as Fixed Point Transects that allow one to get a rapid assessment of the minimum number of distinct individuals in an area. For this particular count we had 3 points spread out over 4.5 kilometers. These points are really too far apart to get a precise count, and we don’t mind so much because this is just a preliminary survey to see how many birds they might be here and how use the oases. We also want to discover what might be the best methods for counting this species in this habitat. Double-stripped thick-knee and chick in savannah, spied on our way to set up points for the count In our short time there of conducting only one formal count we found that counting these birds between oases is challenging, or even in one oasis. They sleep communally in cavities in the same trees where they perch. This basically means that we lose sight of them and cannot be sure if they moved off or staid in a particular area. Point #1 in our 3-point transect They are also incredibly squirrely and swirly birds. They may approach an oasis in one flock, but then they spit off, presumably in family groups or multiple families, and then these groups recombine with other groups or pairs, take off flying again, swirl around the oasis, pick up more birds, and either land again (and again) or head off to another oasis. For this reason, we can only offer an estimate of 253 red-bellied macaws observed along this 4.5 kilometers. It will take repeated counts to narrow down the precision and to perfect the technique. Eating Ite palm fruits and preening as part of their day Normally this is not a species that conservationists emphasize monitoring because they are not threatened, although there does seem to be an overall population decrease across its wide range. Here in the Rupununi not much is known about this species, and it might be an indicator of generally how well the biome is doing and what the trapping pressure might be on parrots in general. Moon rising at the end of our count as we finish our sunup to sundown day int the field I for one would love to continue studying this species because there is nothing like an energetic parrot flying in front of a rising moon to stimulate one’s sense of awe and beauty, this despite how hard they are to count! Thanks to Brian, Danika, Marcellus, and Peo for this first fixed transect count of macaws in the area! Thanks to Marcellus, conservation guide for Yupukari and Caiman House
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