Scarlet Macaws fledge young for the first time in 17 years
August 22, 2007
City Parrots : Scarlet Macaws fledge

Not without pride, with a sigh of relieve and great joy City Parrots can announce that 2 young Scarlet Macaws have fledged. After 23 days in an egg and 3 months in the nest the two youngster fledged early Tuesday morning within an our of each other.

This success marks the end of a series of disappointments for the parents. Year after year the chicks were systematically stolen from the nest. This year as well 3 men with a ladder were caught at the foot of the tree and send away.

Thanks to the press which extensively reported on robbery of the chicks last year and a camera surveillance, this years breeding season became a success. On the 2nd of July we announced on the Dutch version of our website that the camera’s were installed and the clutch failed. This to discourage anyone with bad intentions towards the youngsters.

Tuesday morning, after several nerve-wracking weeks in which we woke up at any sound at the nest tree we could finely breath easy again. This year no robbery of baby macaws.
For the City Parrots team a new period of uncertainty begins. During the breeding season we were able to observe the macaws every day but after fledging the birds will roam the area. Travels of 15 Kilometres a day are no exception. In the past we received sightings of the macaws in nearby municipalities like Vogelenzang, Zandvoort, Bloemendaal and Haarlem. They often visit peoples backyards were they forage on fruit trees. We request anyone who has seen them to report to us. Just so we know they are all right.

Young macaws are recognisable by their shorter tail and dark eyes. The eyes of the parents are white except for the pupil.

It is for the first time in at least 17 years that young macaws fledge in the Netherlands. Now that the macaws do not get stolen we hope the population will grow and at some future time can be repatriated as a functional group to Central America where Scarlet macaws are native and threatened with extinction.

As a safety procedure the young are micro chipped. The were also DNA sexed and turned out to be a male and a female.

Young Macaw Missing!
August 23, 2007
City Parrots : Young Macaw Missing!

This evening we received a message that one of the young macaws was attacked by a dog and picked up by the Animal Ambulance (Dutch RSPCA) After fledging yesterday morning the young faced a stormy night. The youngest bird probably fell out of a tree. The bird was brought in at the local bird sanctuary. Locally known as Vogel Rampen Fonds.

For wild macaws it is no exception to get into trouble after fledging. This is probably the most dangerous period in the live of a young macaw.

Macaw chicks will be fed by the parents for months. They can not provide for themselves one day after leaving the nest. Their flight is clumsy and they do not have the strength to climb a lot in trees.

Unfortunately the bird sanctuary did not realise all this. De macaw was released after a quick inspection of its wounds. But not at the place where he was found but at the back of the sanctuary in northern Haarlem, some 1,5 kilometres away from his parents.

When the City Parrots team arrived after a day of searching for the macaws the young was perched in a small tree. We’ve observed it as long as possible but could not reach him. At the beginning of nightfall when parrots naturally hook up with each other for the night the bird started to make short flights. He gained height and flew out of sight.

The only chance of survival is that the young finds his parents. Chances for this to happen are slim.

We hope that the young macaw will be found quickly! If you have seen it please report to us directly trough director@cityparrots.org! We will get in contact with you ASAP.

Young Macaw still missing!
August 24, 2007
City Parrots : Young Macaw still missing!

After he was set free at the bird sanctuary we have seen the young macaw for two days around the stadskweektuinen in Haarlem. Wednesday afternoon he was very frightened of man in animal ambulance suits. When they arrived the young macaw flew to another higher tree from where it was impossible to reach him with a net.

We have tried to follow the young macaw for as long as possible. It flew from tree to tree and gained more height along the way. Finally it reached the crown of one of the Poplar trees that surround the stadskweektuinen and the nearby public vegetable gardens. At nightfall the macaw flew out of sight and it was impossible to determine where it spend the night. If we did we could possibly have gotten it down with the help of the fire department.

Next day I went out on my bike in the neighbourhood and at noon the young macaw was heard again. He was flying around the stadskweektuinen and was calling out in search of his parents. Although the macaws are regular visitors of this garden they were not the last couple of days. That would have facilitated the reunion of the family a great deal.

The bird sanctuary thought that, as the crow flies, Kenau park, where the bird was found, is not that far. But this means the bird had to know where the park is. That was not the case we had to conclude today when we received a sighting on another public vegetable garden on the Boerhaavelaan named Poelpoldervreugde. This is close to the Ring-necked- and Alexandrine parakeet roost. We thought that the young macaw might be as clever as to follow these other psittacene species.

When we arrived we got confirmation that the young had indeed been there for several hours but disappeared again. At nightfall we hoped it would join the parakeets at the roost but we were not able not welcome it there.

The young macaw is still going strong but this is a situation that can not last very long. Its parents have to take care for it in order for it to survive. The most heartbreaking thing for us is that this situation could have been easily avoided. Animals need to be released at the spot where they are found.

We have not had other reports of sightings. The whole city of Haarlem is helping us. The parents are regularly seen and they are doing fine. The other young is still not found either. But since the parents are eating like crazy we assume the young is still around. We hope to report more on that tomorrow.

Have you seen the macaws please let us know ASAP trough director@cityparrots.org

One young Macaw found the other still lost
August 25, 2007
City Parrots : One young Macaw found the other still lost

Thanks to de media attention we received a lot of sightings of the macaws today. Haarlem and surrounding areas are really supporting us and that makes us feel a lot better.

With the help of the reports today we found the older youngster. It is all right and is taken care of by its parents. They have settled near Kenau park.

Today at nightfall the missing young was seen at Heemstede train station. We have been looking for it there but did not find it. We will start searching there tomorrow.

The youngster is covering a lot of ground in a day. It is obviously is looking for its parents. We hope he will find them soon and be reunited with them.

Toos and Nape are also searching franticly for their lost one. Today they surprised us by visiting their nest to see if the young was there.

__________________
~Live Well...Laugh Often...Love Much~

~Karen

Email: Karen_ParrotChatter@msn.com

Thanks Karen, great reading.

I hope he finds his parents