Birding San Pancho Network

  • INICIO / HOME
  • NOSOTROS / US
    • SERVICIOS DE ASESORIA EN LINEA
    • ONLINE BIRDING ADVISORY SERVICES
    • NUESTRA HISTORIA / OUR HISTORY
    • EQUIPO / TEAM >
      • VOLUNTARIADO / VOLUNTEERS
    • PROGRAMA DE PASANTIAS / INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
    • COLABORADORES / PARTNERS >
      • ALOJAMIENTO / LODGING
      • RESTAURANTS
      • TOURS
      • EMPRESAS / BUSINESS
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • GOBIERNO / GOVERNMENT
    • DONAR / DONATE >
      • DONADORES / DONORS
      • NUEVO CENTRO EDUCATIVO NEW EDUCATIONAL CENTER
      • IN KIND LIST / LISTA DE
      • TRANSPARENCIA / TRANSPARENCY
    • GALERIA/GALERY
    • CONTACTO / CONTACT
  • ECOTOURS
    • SAN PANCHO >
      • TOUR MATUTINO / MORNING TOUR
      • TOUR ATARDECER / SUNSET TOUR
      • AVES NOCTURNAS / OWLING TOUR
      • TOUR SENDERISMO / HIKING TOUR
    • SAN BLAS >
      • TOUR DE DIA / DAY TOUR
      • TOUR DE DOS DÍAS / OVERNIGHT TOUR
    • SAN SEBASTIAN DEL OESTE >
      • TOUR DE DIA / DAY TOUR
      • TOUR DE DOS DIAS / OVERNIGHT TOUR
    • PUERTO VALLARTA >
      • TOUR DE AVES / BIRDING TOUR
      • JARDIN BOTANICO - RANCHO EL SANTUARIO MACAW PRESERVE
      • JARDIN BOTANICO - EL TUITO (DOS DIAS) / BOTANICAL GARDEN - EL TUITO (OVERNIGHT)
    • ISLAS MARIETAS BIRDING TOUR >
      • TOUR MARINO & DE AVES / BIRDING & MARINE TOUR
    • LO DE MARCOS >
      • TOUR DE AVES / BIRDING TOUR
    • LAGUNA QUELELE-DESEMBOCADURA RIO AMECA TOUR >
      • BIRDING TOUR TO LAGUNA QUELELE & DESEMBOCADURA RIO AMECA
    • SIERRA DE VALLEJO HOT SPRINGS & BIRDING TOUR
    • RETIROS / RETREATS >
      • West Mexico Jan 2018
      • 2015 Intermountain & San Pancho Bird Observatories
    • PRIVATE TOURS
    • TESTIMONIOS / TESTIMONIALS
  • CONSERVACION / CONSERVATION
    • EDUCACION / EDUCATION >
      • PROGRAMA AVES URBANAS / URBAN BIRD PROGRAM >
        • OBSERVO AVES MEJORO MI SALUD
        • I BIRDWATCH - I IMPROVE MY HEALTH
      • RECURSOS / RESOURCES
    • COMUNIDAD / COMMUNITY >
      • OBSERVACION DE AVES Y SALUD
      • BIRDING & HEALTH
      • CAMPAÑAS / CAMPAIGNS
      • LETREROS INFORMATIVOS / INFORMATIVE SIGNS
    • CIENCIA / SCIENCE >
      • MONITOREO COMUNITARIO/ COMMUNITY MONITORING
      • PROYECTOS NATURALISTA
      • CONECTIVIDAD MIGRATORIA / mIGRATORY CONNECTIVITY
      • CONSERVACION DE GUACAMAYA VERDE / MILITARY MACAW CONSERVATION
  • BLOG

Conservationists at Work: The Rebound of the Vallarta Region’s Military Macaw

4/30/2017

1 Comentario

 

By: Claudia Méndez, Aves del Paraíso; and Neil Gerlowski, Vallarta Botanical Garden
 
As part of an extended Earth Day Celebration at the Vallarta Botanical Garden, on April 23rd volunteers and guests took a field trip to the Rancho El Santuario (about a 20 minute drive from the Garden) to participate in the installation of a new nest box for the native Military Macaw, one of the largest and most colorful parrots in the Americas. Intrepid climbers scaled to nearly the uppermost branches of an impressive pine tree of well over 20 meters to set up an anchor and hoisting system for the nest box, an octagonal structure of about 1.3 meters high and 90 kilograms in weight. The mass of this giant nest box was great enough to sway the mighty pine back and forth each time the muscular team of volunteers on the ground heaved on the rope to pull it into place.
 
The original impetus for this conservation project was a response to a senselessly cruel crime against nature. While visiting his ranch back in December of 2012, Francisco Espinoza Ibarra was horrified and saddened to see that someone had cut down the hollow old pine on his property that was home to an entire colony of Military Macaws. The way the nest cavity was carved up by chain saw cuts was clear evidence that the motivation was to poach the hatchlings for sale on the black market as illegal pets. Not only did the former company of these majestic birds provide Francisco and his family with great joy, they were an excellent draw for tourists who would pay to see them, thereby providing an economic incentive for their continued care. Something needed to be done to give them a second chance! As a response to this tragedy, volunteers from throughout Cabo Corrientes, Puerto Vallarta and beyond came together to install segments of the original trunk as “resurrected” nest sites. With the technical support of the Vallarta Botanical Garden and Vallarta Adventures, the project was quickly off the ground. Fast forwarding to the following nest season, miracle of miracles occurred and both nest boxes were occupied and resulted in yet another generation of young guacamayas (Spanish for “macaws").
 
Thanks in part to a donation of climbing equipment from Defenders of Wildlife, Francisco, along with his family and friends, have been installing more boxes and the guacamaya population at their ranch is expanding beyond their wildest dreams. The most recently installed nest box is number nine of the new generation of boxes designed and built by Jorge Novoa, Francisco’s brother-in-law. The patron of this particular box is Todd McGrain, founder of The Lost Bird Project, a New York based not-for-profit dedicated to conservation and awareness building for threatened species of birds across the planet, and especially here in North America. McGrain was amazed by the work of Francisco and Jorge after visiting El Rancho Santuario in March at the invitation of the Vallarta Botanical Garden to participate in the Vallarta Bird Festival.
 
On the day of this most recent nest box installation, Vallarta Botanical Garden administrators pledged the sponsorship two more nest boxes, in honor of “Aves del Paraíso” a local not-for profit caring for rescued parrots. Another participant, Vallarta Botanical Garden member Susana Borneman, pledged a box as well, which will bring the total amount within the Rancho el Santuario to an even dozen by the summer rainy season. Aside from sponsoring a nest box (5,000 pesos or 250 USD each including carpentry, custom engraving, and installation) other sponsorship opportunities include donations to expand the preserve land of the Rancho El Santuario (currently at about 65 hectares), and installing solar powered cameras (to deter poachers, monitor the birds, and allow people from all over the world to visit virtually). Those of you lucky enough to live in the Vallarta Region or have occasion to visit can experience the thrill of bird watching at the Rancho El Santuario for yourselves. A guided tour is only 200 pesos per person for groups of three or more, otherwise a minimum amount of 500 pesos is charged for either individuals or pairs. Tours may be booked by calling 322 223 6234 or emailing novoapv@hotmail.com. Nature tours are even more rewarding when you know that you’re contributing to great local conservation!
1 Comentario
Lynda tunney
1/22/2020 11:48:43 am

I want to do a bird tour. I am coming to Puerto Vallarta 28feb thru mar 3 last time we went to see the macaw project. I would like to see your progress

Responder



Deja una respuesta.

    BirdingSanPancho
    News

    Por favor comparte con nosotros tus historias, preguntas e inquietudes.

    Please share with us your stories or questions

    Dona / Donate

    Boletines/
    Newsletters
    Fall 2012
    ​

    Noviembre 2020
    Septiembre 2020
    Julio 2020
    Junio 2020
    Mayo 2020
    Abril 2020
    Diciembre 2019
    Noviembre 2019
    Octubre 2019
    Septiembre 2019
    Julio 2019
    Junio 2019
    Abril 2019
    Marzo 2019
    Febrero 2019
    Enero 2019
    Diciembre 2018
    Noviembre 2018
    Octubre 2018
    Agosto 2018
    Junio 2018
    Abril 2018
    Marzo 2018
    Septiembre 2017
    Agosto 2017
    Junio 2017
    Abril 2017
    Noviembre 2016
    Octubre 2016
    Septiembre 2016
    Junio 2016
    Mayo 2016
    Abril 2016
    Febrero 2016

    Categorías

    Todos

    Fuente RSS

    Dona / Donate
    Dona / Donate
    Dona / Donate
    Dona / Donate
    Dona / Donate
Con tecnología de Crea tu propio sitio web único con plantillas personalizables.