Our Macaw Conservation Program is very close to 30 years of work, achieving great results that can be seen by those who visit the Central Pacific area, especially the Garabito area.

Today and thanks to the alliance with The Macaw Society, led by Dr. Donald J. Brightsmith and Dr. Gabriela Vigo-Trauco, our Conservation Program begins a new stage, which includes among other innovations the placement of temperature, movement and humidity sensors in the artificial nests, weighing the chicks to determine growth rates, investigate causes of mortality, and at the end of the season determine the number of eggs laid, number of chicks hatched, number of dead chicks, and the number of chicks that fly out of the nest.

Here we can see a gallery of photographs of the work being done since the season started in November 2021. Also a short conversation with Dr. Christopher Vaughan, director and parent of the Central Pacific Macaw Conservation Program.

Project in data (information from Dr. Vigo)

• We started the season in November 2021 by making some modifications to the artificial nests in order to have access to the chicks. The new model has a small door on the side.
  Temperature, movement and humidity sensors were installed inside the nests.
• The camera system inside the nests was rearranged.
• Our field manager, wildlife conservation biologist Roshan Tailor, is in charge of daily nest monitoring and parrot counts in the forest adjacent to the hotel.
• We monitored nine nests in the area, eight artificial nests and one natural nest.
  On December 19 the first egg was found in the Ceibo Bajo nest.
• The first chick hatched on January 15. It was born with a very good weight (more than average). The parents are taking good care of it. The mother stays in the nest and the father comes and goes with the food. This is not a first time couple. In November, they stoutly defended the nest from a pair of intruders.
• They already know how to take care of a nest and care for chicks. On December 19, the second chick was born.
• Two veterinarians, Sophie Herbert, wild bird specialist, and Ivanna Gordienko, wildlife specialist, are in charge of monitoring the chicks’ health.
• The plan is to monitor their growth every day until they are 20 days old and then leaving one day until they fly. We will also take behavioral data thanks to the video cameras that run 24/7.