Mangrove Finch head-starting program, 2014 Photo Journal A collaboration between the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos National Park Directorate, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the San Diego Zoo
Oct 21, 2014
Mangrove Finch head-starting program, 2014
Photo Journal
A collaboration between the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos National Park Directorate, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the San Diego Zoo
The first months
In 2014, the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galapagos National Park Directorate, and the San Diego Zoo collaborated to rear and resettle fifteen captive reared mangrove finches in their native habitat. This represents a 25% increase in their population, as the hatchlings would likely have perished otherwise.
This would not have been possible without the support of SOS Save Our Species, Galapagos Conservancy, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
Here is a photo-journal of their first months.
Project leader Francesca Cunninghame collects the first nest at Playa Tortuga Negra
GNPD ranger Wilson Villafuerte lowers a mangrove finch nest
Collected eggs are placed in cotton wool cups in a thermos upon arriving at ground level
Richard Switzer (SDZG) and Wilson Villafuerte (GNPD) relay the thermos of eggs out of the forest
Eggs in the portable incubator at PTN prior to transport to Puerto Ayora
Aviculturist Beau Parkes (SDZG) carefully holds the portable incubator before take-off
Helicopter under contract from GNPD transports mangrove finch eggs to Puerto Ayora
Mangrove finch eggs installed in Brinsea incubator at CDF hand rearing facility
Newly hatched mangrove finch chick
Nestlings in individual nest cups inside brooder
Egg shells from captive hatched mangrove finch eggs
Mangrove Finch Project technical assistant Anita Carrion hand feeds a mangrove finch nestling
Nineteen day old mangrove finch fledgling in holding cage at captive rearing facility
GNPD vessel Gaudalupe River arrives off shore at PTN with the second cohort of mangrove finch fledglings to be released into the wild
Mangrove finch fledglings inside the pre-release aviaries within the mangrove forest at PTN
Mangrove finch fledgling learns to forage on natural lava rock inside the pre-release aviaries
Mangrove finch fledgling at a food tray containing fallen black mangrove seeds and Lepidoptera larvae, an important natural food source for wild birds
Mangrove finch fledgling on a natural perch investigates red mangrove foliage inside the pre-release aviaries
Mangrove finch fledgling on a black mangrove log inside the pre-release aviaries
Francesca Cunninghame (CDF), Marcel Gavilanes (GNPD) and Paul Medranda (thesis student CDF) fitting a transmitter to a mangrove finch fledgling
Two Mangrove finch fledglings with scapular mounted transmitters at a feeding dish inside the pre-release aviaries the day before their release
A mangrove finch fledgling as it leaves the aviaries and goes into the wild for the first time
Released mangrove finch fledglings rests on the outside perch after returning to the aviaries for supplementary food
Released captive reared mangrove finch fledgling with its transmitter aerial showing
Released mangrove finch fledgling takes a rest from foraging on a fallen mangrove trunk
Paul Medranda and Ana Carrión (CDF) conduct radio tracking of released captive reared mangrove finch fledglings inside the mangrove forest at PTN
Released captive reared mangrove finch fledgling 24 days after release inside the mangrove forest at PTN
Released captive reared mangrove finch feeds on ripe Palo Santo fruit in arid zone vegetation 700m to the south of the mangrove forest at PTN
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