Bonaire’s “Lora,” the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot is alive and well.
Last Saturday morning, 87 hardy souls left their warm and cozy beds before the crack of dawn to secure themselves in locations all around Bonaire, in the annual Parrot Count organized by Echo Foundation. Volunteers, STINAPA rangers, and STINAPA junior rangers were trained and ready to count Bonaire’s lora, the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot, to see if populations of this endangered bird are increasing or decreasing.
Volunteers covered 33 locations around Bonaire.
This year’s parrot count, the 24th annual event, included the highest roost count ever, with a coverage of 33 locations around the northern half of Bonaire. This could not have been possible without the fantastic support of Bonaire’s volunteers, who underwent a training session the week before the count.
Two years makes a huge difference.
The 2017 count was disappointing, leading parrot researchers to ask, “where have all the parrots gone?” Although fewer parrots were counted in 2017, it was theorized that it was due to a very rainy season, where parrots might have relocated to new roosts because the vegetation was plentiful.
In 2017, 17 roost locations were counted, plus Washington Park, as opposed to 33 this year. Also in 2017, 50 volunteers helped with the simultaneous parrot count, whereas this year, a whopping 87 volunteers turned out.
2019 marks a landmark year for parrots.
Echo Foundation has announced that a whopping 1153 parrots were counted in a simultaneous roost count last Saturday, the highest count in the event’s 24-year history. The record for most parrots in one location goes to the Fontein roost site, where a massive 250 parrots seen last Saturday morning.
Kudos go to the volunteers.
Echo Foundation extends its thanks to all those who braved pre-dawn conditions to make this year’s count. It’s good news to hear that Bonaire’s lora, the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot, is thriving.
(Source: Echo Foundation)
