Macaws make excellent flagship species and serve as charismatic focal points for the conservation of the ecosystems where they occur, and they need your help! Unfortunately throughout most of tropical America large macaws have suffered major population declines. The threats faced by large macaws like hunting, collection for the pet trade and destruction of habitat are compounded by the fact that these species have naturally low reproductive rates. Given the threats that face many macaw populations today, it is obvious that protecting large tracts of habitat is vital to the survival of macaws and the thousands of species that share their habitat. Some of the most important areas to protect are clay licks. Here hundreds of individuals of up to 17 species congregate daily to descend to the river and stream banks to eat clay. This clay apparently provides an important source of sodium and protects birds from the toxins in the seeds that they eat. By assisting the project you will be able to experience all the amazing sights of the rainforest in a relatively comfortable environment as we work out of tourist lodges (although in staff quarters).
Current objectives include: 1. developing different methods to increase the reproductive success of large macaws by refining our nest box designs and conducting experiments aimed at understanding why some macaw chicks die of starvation and how to enhance their survival; 2. calculating the number of birds of each species of parrot and macaw visiting the clay lick during peak activity periods; 3. the development and testing of nest boxes for smaller psittacines; 4. comparing methods for estimating reproductive success and estimating macaw and parrot densities. 5. monitoring seasonal changes in flock size for clues to breeding seasons 6. training of young Peruvian scientists and evaluation of disturbance generated by the tourism industry. 7. identify long term trends in clay lick activity through long term monitoring of macaw and parrot use of various clay licks; Tasks include: 1. Monitoring various aspects of clay lick activity 2. Monitoring boat traffic and impacts on bird activity 3. Collecting samples of food eaten by parrots and macaws 4. Monitoring marked trees for fruit and flowering status 5. Monitoring group size and call rate from towers and overlooks 6. Conducting parrot and macaw census from boats, point counts or transects 7. Data entry 8. Talks to guests or students if required. Volunteers will join a developed research program focused on different aspects of macaw biology and conservation. This work will develop and evaluate techniques for increasing reproductive output of wild macaws, expand our knowledge of macaw nesting behavior, increase our understanding of the complexities of clay lick use, determine parrot population densities to aid conservation planning and monitor the impacts of tourism on clay lick activity. Volunteers will meet many of the students benefiting from patronage of the project. This scientific information will then be dispersed through a variety of channels including publications, talks, local reports and meetings to local communities, ecotourism enterprises, the Peruvian government, and conservationists world-wide. Volunteers will need to cover their own costs: around: US$10 per day (includes all meals, tea, coffee, accommodation at the lodges, transport from Puerto Maldonado to the study sites, internet access). Not included: International or local flights, insurance, laundry, bar drinks Positions are available from September 2007 onwards (the project is ongoing and there are no formal start dates) Application process: CV with 3 references and a Letter of interest to the following email. For more information, please visit our website: www.geocities.com/macawmonitoring or contact Alan Lee at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
