The uncertain future of the yellow-eared parrot
The shrill cries of a pair of parrots grew stronger through the heavy morning fog that fell on the mountains of Antioquia. A group of twelve people, including researchers, students and curious people like me waiting for the arrival of the eighties one of the most threatened birds the world to its resting place. Among the surprise and disappointment of the spectators (in my case the thrill of seeing this bird for the first time) only a couple appeared eared parrot through the fog. They settled on the top of the wax palm frond endemic in Colombia and at the same time we were trying to identify them with binoculars, they decided to fly to an uncertain place, probably as uncertain as their future.
The yellow-eared parrot, whose scientific name in Latin is Ognorhynchus Parrot, were originally the Andes of Colombia in the mid-northern Ecuador, but people who regularly crossed the border between the two countries apparently died twelve years ago. Experts believed that this disappearance meant that there were only two camps left in the Cordillera Central of Colombia. One of the colonies met in Toche River Valley, also known as Cocora Valley, a beautiful place is distinguished by the amount of wax palms silhouetted against the sky. Many travelers, myself included, have come to know the wax palm for the first time here. However, for five years, the efforts of researchers to confirm the presence of birds in this area have been in vain and bustle of parrots is not heard there. And that's a strange fact, since the dependence of the parrots' in the wax palm is absolute, without recording or registration has been known for a herd that does not sleep or nest in the trunks of palm wax. So, to save the eared means saving the wax palm, the tree Colombia's national endangered species, and vice versa.
I met Paul Salaman, Director General Ognorhynchus Project in Medellin, where planned to stop at a newly discovered colonies in Antioquia. Salaman is a young Englishman with a passion and witty bird inside, and it takes a lot of passion to start a project with the idea of saving a species of parrot, whose number in the beginning was estimated at less than 100. "The discovery of the new colony is very good. There approximately 180 parrots on this site, so we're very excited, "Salaman said in his well, but with Spanish accent. As was in a taxi crossing the mountains Salaman Antioquia shared more details about the precarious status of the species. "In any article you write, the identity of the place has to be maintained secret because there are many poachers in search of wildlife parrot and can not run that risk. "A favorite for wildlife poachers is parrots, the recognition by plumage colors, the love of the people to keep them as pets and habitat destruction have 89 species in the world to the brink of extinction.
We reached a small town where researchers and project coordinators to implement the activities necessary to try to keep the bird breeding in the area. As in the other place in the department of Tolima, the plan is to capture several people to install receivers for their feeding and movement patterns come to light. Since the nests are always made in the trunk of an old, hollow palm wax, artificial nests shaped like the back and made of fiberglass will be created with the To increase the number of pairs that nest in each season. Such reliance on the wax palm may be the sentence for the eared or could be his salvation. The project aims to "save two birds with one stone 'by creating environmental awareness to save enough wax palm. One of the most critical comes in Semana Santa (Easter), when Colombians woven braids religious swing palm leaves to be blessed during a popular celebration Catholic. Usually, the development of these icons means the whole tree felling. So the project is encouraging people to use other materials under natural environmental predators. In another against the owners of cattle ranches in the area are fencing patches of land where the wax palm seedlings could have been trampled by cows grazing and, finally, the inhabitants, mostly farmers, receive lectures and posters with the image of the parrot. I witnessed the enthusiasm of several children who were always doing questions and wanted to see the closure of parrot so I thought this strategy is delivering good results.
One morning in one of the roosts sites before I got up early that parrots and waited in one of the wax palm, where some 80 parrots were still asleep squeezed in the top of the sheets to be bent like the branches of Christmas tree loaded in excess. As the sunlight reflected off the sky lit up the valley, the parrots began their usual uproar, some pushing to its partners in the palm, other grooming each other, puffing their feathers in preparation for flight. Suddenly, all took off at once, letting down with a good bite only to regain stability of about 6 feet off the ground and my head on the crest of the Cordillera. I imagined this group as the last vestige of an unknown tribe whose identity is about to be lost forever in the annals of taxonomy and was grateful to God for having seen a being who may disappear or, with equal ease, can recover from almost certain extinction.
target = "_blank" title = "Parrot"> Yellow-eared Parrot
About the Author
I am a professional photographer who usually writes the text for my assignments. My images and text have been published in many magazines, calendars and books around the world.
Carlos Sastoque Photography
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Seriatopora hystrix Bird’s Nest Coral – Medium $99.99 Bird’s Nest Corals ( Seriatopora sp. ) grow in a colony with thin, pointed (or nearly pointed) branches that grow in random directions to resemble the tangle of twigs of a bird’s nest. The polyps on each “branch” grow in rows, a distinguishing characteristic that separates this coral from similar species like Cat’s Paw Corals ( Stylophora sp. ). Color and shape vary, depending on the conditions under which the colony was grown. These corals grow best under bright lighting and moderate to high flow. Bird’s Nest Corals generally do not tolerate fluctuations in water chemistry and should be kept in stable, mature systems. Calcium levels need to be maintained at a fairly consistent level (at least 420ppm) for this coral to maintain its rapid growth rate. This is one of the most popular corals among coral propogators and many varieties of frags are available. |
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Natures Nest – Stick Nest – Finch – Giant $3.69 The Nature’s Nest, Giant Finch Stick Nest is hand-made from all natural materials which encourages courtship, breeding and nesting behavior. It is created with your bird’s health and well-being in mind. This nest has a small hood on the top. It is for finches, canaries and other similar sized birds. Size: 4″ diameter x 3 1/2″ deep (the nesting part, does not include the hood). |
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