Every end is a new beginning
Today was the end of Parker's stay in our nursery ….but it was also his first day as a wild macaw chick in the amazon rainforest!.
After a few uncertain moments in the early days of his little life, our fourth chick, the one that was welcomed by a trop of spider monkeys when he hatched, has survived until 25 days old. This is unheard of! With a 7% chance of hatching and absolutely no known chance of surviving the first few days of life, it’s truly amazing that Parker is alive today. His survival so far is an indication of the positive impact this work can have on increasing reproductive rates in Scarlet macaws, as well as the doors this could open for so many other species.
We had a plan to place him into his new nest, Pukakuro yesterday. The nesting couple has a long history with the Tambopata Research Centre as the female is the daughter of Tabasco, one of the Scarlet macaws who was hand-raised by the founders of the project back in 1993. Well, the rainforest does not subscribe to our plans and as we know, the only thing predictable about the jungle is its unpredictability.
We woke at 5am on the morning of the relocation to the sound of rain. The only thing to do was to wait, but the longer we waited the harder the rain got. The rain is a problem because of two main reasons. We have limited climbing ropes and if they get wet we cannot climb until they are dry. With 42 nests to climb, losing one rope is a big problem for us and the chicks. The second reason is that the macaws do not forage as well when it is raining, meaning the chicks don’t get fed very much, if at all. We needed a clear day to place Parker into his new nest to give him the best chance of being fed and accepted by his new parents.
So, with hopeful hearts we went to sleep and this morning we were greeted with a beautiful dawn and the promise of sunshine. Today was the day Parker would finally be returned to the wild. The whole team was waiting downstairs to say goodbye and wish him luck. All he has ever really known is the researchers and the vet lab. Because he had such a high risk of dying in those first few days, we removed him from his original nest the day he hatched. Parker’s eyes finally opened two days ago, meaning today was the first time he had ever seen the jungle - what would hopefully be his home for the next 40 years.
When Parker was introduced to his new sibling they immediately wobbled towards each other and proceeded to ‘cuddle’ until they were returned to the nest. The nesting female ‘Tambo’ is a very protective mother who rarely leaves the nest, so we were a little unsure what her response to a new chick would be. However, when our expert climber Carlos placed Parker inside, he told us she started preening him straight away! With such a positive response from Tambo, it looks like Parker might have the family he needs to survive the next year of learning to forage, avoid predators and socialize.
We will return in the afternoon to the nest to check on him and for at least the next ten days, we will give him supplemental food if he needs it. Watch out for our lab notes to find out how he adapts to his new life in the wild.
Today is also the last day of our crowdfunding campaign and the last chance for you to donate if that’s something you would like to do. It’s been a busy time and we still have 5 chicks in the Research center waiting to be placed in their new nests. With supplemental feedings continuing out in the field, there’s a lot of work to do but we are so grateful for the opportunity to save these chicks and make a difference. And we couldn’t do it without you.
Thank you very much for all of your help and support. Thank you for helping us to save all our nine foster chicks this season.
Have a very happy and safe holiday with your loved ones this December.
With gratitude and warm wishes,
The Tambopata Macaw Project team.
Indy, Chris, Henry, Parker, Mark, Aggie, Mary Poppins, Ricky J, Eaton and Rumali (Foster chicks from 2018-2019 Breeding season)
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