In the Field

Once it was finalized that we would be heading down to Osorno, Chile, to assist in the field, we started receiving regular updates and photos about the project. This caused a lot of excitement about our future adventure. Our visit was coordinated around the time that the young birds would start fledging, so that we could maximise our efforts during our time there.

The trip from Canada down to Chile involved three separate flights and driving for another hour to get to our final destination. This took over 17 hours of waiting in lines and sitting on airplanes. Our trip was mostly uneventful, except for the luggage not making it to our final location. Field work often involves trekking out into remote areas, living in tents, dealing with biting insects and always being on alert for encounters with the not so safe wildlife species. This particular field project was situated in a much more friendly environment, with no real pests or potentially dangerous critters. Our main concerns were insuring we had enough water on hand, plenty of sun protection, packing lunches and snacks, and having tissues for those required pit stops in the woods. Our drives into the field sent us on a lot of off-roading routes onto farmland, so that we could get close to the nesting sites. On a few occasions we had to climb over or under fences (mostly barbed wire), and one site involved leaping over a 6 foot deep ditch – some more skilled than others. Overall, a lot of time was spent waiting, as climbing gear was set up and someone tackled their way up the tree, while the rest of us ended up suffering from kinked necks as we tried see the nests from down below.

The Fledglings

The most exciting part of our trip was the hands-on work. Many of these nests had three or four chicks and we had the opportunity to assist as each bird was weighed, measured and banded. One or two of the oldest birds from each nest was fitted with a radio collar, so that they could be tracked once they fledged.

One of the nests had obviously been a poaching site for many years. It had a wedge cut out in the tree just below its opening. This piece would have been removed to provide easy access to the young birds. There were also remnants of a makeshift ladder nailed to the tree. Luckily this site managed to stay out of harm’s hands this year, and we were very delighted when Mark found a total of six chicks in the nest.

Unfortunately, this was not always the case. Another nest that had previously had five chicks was down to one. This is when we learned that poachers always left one chick in the nests they visited. This insured that the parents deemed it a successful nest and would return to the site again the next year. Jaime talked about a local festival and known location where poachers sold young birds. We took a side trip to see if we could see it first hand, but had no success. We did meet up with a vendor who had an adult conure trained to retrieve your fortune. All in all, fifty young birds were banded, and 12 received collars, during our stay there. It was great to help!

What does the future hold for the Slender-billed Conure?

These conures are found only in Chile, and their numbers appear to be declining. Factors threatening these birds are the increasing conflict with farmers who shoot them when they are found foraging in their grain fields, and habitat loss, as more and more trees are cut down for pastures and nest poaching. Ana will be spending the next few years gathering data about these conures. She will be following the collared birds in order to understand their habitats, diet and nesting habits. Trees and nest cavities will be measured, the surrounding habitat will be documented and many hours in the field will be logged. Hopefully, with a better understanding of the bird’s ecology, plans can be implemented to help protect them. Projects such as replenishing the Coihue trees used by these birds, and public education, can increase the appreciation of these amazing endemic wild parrots, all made possible by the dedicated wildlife biologists.

Ana carefully records all of her data © Photo: NR Lemieux

Nathalie with Slender-billed Conure chick © Photo: SE Payne

Flock of Slender-billed Conures