From the field: The Lear's Macaw

Abstract

Mworst fears were being realzed. A week and a half in ortheastern Brazil and we were probably going to miss seeing the Lear's Macaw! But how could I complain? We had seen many beautiful and rare birds and had enjoyed the company and instruction of two of the world's finest field ornithologists. After all, it took renowned Brazilian ornithologist Helmut Sick many years of searching to find the home range of these birds. With a known population of about 60

(and rumors of a second population of similar size) this is one of the earth's most threatened species.

I have had a lifetime interest in the natural world in general and birds in particular. I got my first pet birds in 1950-a pair of Budgies. Soon, I was breeding them and learning all I could about the parrot family. I became a serious student of wild parrots in 1981 when I made the first of 22 trips to Mexico, Central and South America to study them. With time, I became deter-

 

mined to see and photograph every living species of macaw. I knew that this would be a most difficult, if not impossible, task. It took several trips to see my first macaw and several years to see and photograph Blue & Gold, Scarlet, Green-winged, Chestnut-fronted (Severe), Yellow-collared, Redshouldered (Noble and Hahns), Hyacinth, Red-bellied and Blue-throated (Canindae) Macaws.

I missed seeing the Blue-headed and Military on a tour of Manu Park Peru, due to the demands of my personal schedule which caused me to leave early. I missed seeing the Redfronted on a tour of eastern Bolivia due to a less than enthusiastic guide. This left those three species plus the Blue-winged (Illiger's), Spix's (one known in the wild) and the Lear's on my most wanted list. When I heard that Field Guides, Inc. was planning a tour of northeastern Brazil I signed up immediately. Unfortunately, military orders prevented my going. The second time such a tour was offered I had another conflict and had to pass.

Finally, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) announced that they were going to have a similar tour in January 1997. I was excited to learn that Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker were going to lead this tour. I knew Kevin well from several past tours. I am convinced that he is among the top five Neotropical ornithologists in the world. Andy was also known to

me by reputation as being a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and skilled ornithologist. Originally from Great Britain, he has been a full-time resident of Brazil for 11 years. He has a Brazilian wife and has dedicated his life to studying the bird life of his adopted homeland.

Northeastern Brazil is home of a special habitat type called caatinga which comes in several subtypes all of which share low, thorny vegetation with interspersed cacti and terrestrial bromeliads. Such terrain does not fit most people's conception of ideal habitat for macaws. In fact, at least two species of macaws inhabit this type of habitat (Lear's and Blue-winged) and several others regularly occur in savannas and/or dry forests (Hyacinth, Red & Green, Blue & Yellow, Scarlet, Yellow-collared, Red-shouldered, Redbellied, Blue-throated and Red-fronted). So, don't always picture a rain forest when you think about macaws! Lear's Macaws are known only from a type of caatinga that features both rocky cliffs and licuri palms, Syagrus coronata.

The visit to the Lear's home territory was to be at about the midpoint of the tour and was to occur in the late afternoon on the way to our next stop. It was originally planned that the morning that followed would be a backup time in case the macaws were missed the first time. However, mechanical problems with our bus prevented the option of a second visit to the site. I got more and more concerned as that special day wore on. A series of delays had put us well behind schedule. It was going to be an all-ornothing attempt and the sun was setting rapidly. Kevin and Andy appeared calm and confident on the outside, but I sensed a hint of concern below the surface. There was less than an hour of daylight when we arrived at the ranch where the macaws were said to frequently take their late afternoon meal. There were no sights or sounds to suggest the presence of the macaws when we scrambled off the bus. The ranch owner met the group with a smile and led us into a pasture near his house.

 

 

 

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