Echo’s Annual Roost Count is just around the corner!
Echo is hosting its annual roost count on Saturday, July 29, 2023, of the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot, or Lora as it is known locally. The Roost count is a yearly event where volunteers from across the island visit known roost sites (places where groups of Lora sleep) and count the individuals to help estimate the population size on the island. By knowing approximately how many parrots are on the island, Echo can determine how the population is doing and implement conservation action better.
Parrots are notoriously hard to count due to their social grouping behaviors and the fact that they never stay in one place for too long. By conducting a simultaneous count across all known roost sites on the island, chances for double counting are reduced and an estimate of the population on Bonaire can be made. At this time of year, the parrots sleep in large communal groups making it the perfect time to count them.
Volunteers who wish to participate in the count will arrive at their pre-assigned sites before sunrise and wait for the parrots to fly out from the roost site, counting them as they do during an allotted time. Afterward, this information will be compiled and compared to historical data helping Echo determine if the island’s population is increasing or decreasing. For the past few years, we are seeing an increase in numbers, and are hoping for another successful count this year.
How to register
Echo is looking for volunteers to join their roost count and help them cover all the necessary sites across the island, the more sites that are covered, the more accurate the population estimate can be. A training session will be provided by Echo on Wednesday, July 26th for all newcomers and repeat participants.
If you would like to participate in Echo’s annual root count event, please email Echo at Echobonaire@gmail.com to sign up. Please note: the application deadline is July 26, 2023.
As a thank you for volunteering, Echo will provide a free breakfast after the count between 8 AM -10 AM at the Cultural Park Mangazina di Rei where they will also tally the incoming tentative results.
About Echo
Echo is a non-profit wildlife conservation organization that works closely with volunteers, interns, students, and the local community to protect the beautiful, Yellow-shouldered Amazon on the idyllic Caribbean Island of Bonaire.
(Source: Echo)
