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To help in Saving the Blues™ in Bolivia, Bird Endowment initiated in 2007 an original annual funding project as a part of the Armonía / Loro Parque Fundación Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Program in the wild.

Named Nido Adoptivo™, the exclusive nest site supplementation project empowers wild conservation participation by domestic aviculturists and bird lovers, each of whom is honored as an "El Beni-Factor™" for a year.

The first year 34 Bird Endowment friends came forward with $250 each to sponsor nest boxes. After that initial success, we had an increase in the number of El Beni-Factors™ for the 2008-2009 breeding season .

Nido Adoptivo™ opens funding for 2009-10

We are now accepting subscribers for the 2009-10 breeding season.

Costs of the nest boxes themselves are only a small part of the project. Bird Endowment collects no fees in this program (and in fact, pays for the framed certificates and mailing among other domestic expenses). Most of the expenses in Bolivia are incurred in the field work. Your $250 donation to this unique project will fund:

• Constructing a new box or repairing an existing nest box. You may designate two initials to personalize your sponsored nest box.
• Locating the best site and installing the supplemental nest box. Exclusive approximate GPS coordinates enable each sponsor to find the nest site location using Google satellite via the Internet.
• Monitoring nest box site twice a month (when accessible) by BTM Project field biologist. Data collection includes recording nest box contents, usage, and inter-species interactions.
• Maintaining site records to provide an initial report and a final summary of the nest box activity to you.

• Monitoring population levels and occasional new surveys.
• Monitoring illegal trafficking and guarding nest sites.
• Providing education programs

The Honor and The Privilege:
The 2008-09 El Beni-Factors™

El Beni-Factor™ sponsors of the Nido Adoptivo™ project are listed for the breeding year here. They also receive a presentation-framed certificate like this one announcing their participation. El Beni-Factors™ who made the 2008-09 Nido Adoptivo™ effort a success are:

Katy Secor, Massachusetts
Jennifer White, North Carolina
Wayne Rankin, Nevada
Wayne Rankin, Nevada
France Archambault and Calvin Embry, Texas
Blue-throated Macaw Yahoo Group/ Jim P
Noelle Fontaine, Arizona
Susanne Cochran, Colorado
Vicki Baiamonte, Texas
Eva Dicker, California
Claire Dicker, California
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Stonebreaker, California
Lisa Johnson, Arizona
Jennifer White, North Carolina
Parrot University, North Carolina
Daina Mahone, Texas
Margo and Randy Rose
Kathryne Thorpe, Virginia
Bolivar the BTM, Pennsylvania
PEAC-Cleveland, Ohio
Katy Secor, Massachusetts
Janice Boyd, Louisiana
Wendy's Parrots, Texas
Gamini and Lisa Ratnavira, California
Mark and Daina Mahone, Texas
Mark and Daina Mahone, Texas
Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture, Colorado
Westech Mechanical, Colorado
Brenton Head, Adelaide, Australia
Rigoletto Kayla Grasso the BTM, New York
Jana Julleis, Arizona
Arizona Seed Cracker Society, Arizona
Avicultural Society of Tucson, Arizona
Uselton Family Foundation, Texas
Uselton Family Foundation, Texas
Uselton Family Foundation, Texas
Uselton Family Foundation, Texas

IN MEMORIAM

Giselle, by Blue-throated Macaw Yahoo Group/Steve K
Harry Heidenreich, by Good Bird Inc., Texas
Cheeko, by Karen C. Justice, North Carolina
Lin Jellenik, by Blue-throated Macaw Yahoo Group/ Rick G

Photo by Mauricio Herrera

This Blue-throated Macaw chick fledged from its nest box the end of March, 2008.

The Nido Adoptivo™ Founders

Bird Endowment committed to fund a minimum of 20 nest boxes to be erected in Bolivia for the 2007-08 breeding season. The response to our request for help exceeded that goal by 14 boxes (a total of 34). Those 2007 donors are recognized as Founders of the continuing annual program. The Founders are:

Katy Secor, Massachusetts
Eva Dicker, California
Claire Dicker, California
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Stonebreaker, California
Parrot University, North Carolina
Margo Rose, California
Kathryne Thorpe, Virginia
Jennifer White, North Carolina
Deborah Stambul, California
PEAC-Cleveland, Ohio
Janice Boyd, Louisiana
Kelly and Spencer Wheeler, Washington
France Archambault, Texas
Hank Greer, South Carolina
Laurel Greer, South Carolina
Paige Greer, South Carolina
Ryan Greer, South Carolina
Reid Greer, South Carolina
Emma Greer, South Carolina
Hayden Greer, South Carolina
Evan Greer, South Carolina
Bolivar the BTM, Pennsylvania
Attila Molnar, DVM, California
Aurelia Lynn Friedman, California
Vicki Baiamonte, Texas
Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture, Colorado
Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture, Colorado
Lisa Johnson, Arizona
Greg and Patty Muzic, Ohio
Northwest Exotic Bird Society, Washington
Companion Bird Club of Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania

Founders In Memoriam

Harry Heidenreich, by The Leather Elves, Massachusetts
Rita Tindall, by Ark-La-Tex Caged Bird Club, Louisiana
Baby Giselle, by Wendy's Parrots, Texas

Summary of Nido Adoptivo™ project

The Nido Adoptivo™ objective is to increase the annual reproductive output of the Blue-throated Macaw wild population through a nest site supplementation strategy, utilizing nest boxes attached to trees.

This is in cooperation with “Saving the Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis: A Species Recovery Plan,” which was developed by the Bolivian NGO Asociación Armonía and Loro Parque Fundación to guide the Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Program they began in 1995.

Our effort has been an expansion of trial studies done in the two previous breeding seasons -- 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. During the first breeding season of Nido Adoptivo™ -- 2007-2008 -- we had an objective of installing 20 new nest boxes. The project attracted 34 sponsors at $250 each.

Such an outpouring of support allowed Armonia to include the boxes from the earlier feasibility study as part of the project. That resulted in 51 nest boxes -- the surplus boxes mostly were designated with initials BE and a number -- being placed in different areas as part of the project.

Preliminary Results of
Nido Adoptivo™ project

Interim reports for the 2007-08 breeding season show a huge impact on cavity-nest-site competition in the Nido Adoptivo™ project area.

Looking only at our raison d'être, four Blue-throated Macaws were fledged from two Nido Adoptivo™ nest boxes. However, a number of other cavity-nesting species also used the boxes, which may have allowed BTMs to fledge from more-available tree cavities elsewhere in the range.

TOTAL NEST BOXES = 51
Blue & Gold nests = 24
Blue-throated nests = 4
White-eyed Conure nests = 6
Duck nests = 4
Cattle Tyrant nests = 1

Other* activity = 9
No activity = 11

Macaws hatched = 39
Blue & Yellow = 35
Blue-throated = 4