By Linda Richter - NetTech on Wednesday, March 7, 2001 - 9:54 am: |
I've been meaning to share these pictures for a while. We had a flock (+12) of Loras hanging around across the street every afternoon around 5pm for almost 3 weeks.
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By Hazel Scharosch on Wednesday, March 7, 2001 - 11:33 am: |
Great pictures, Linda. Were the birds just passing through, or did they appear to be attracted to something in particular? Dog food maybe? ;-)
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By Linda Richter - NetTech on Wednesday, March 7, 2001 - 11:38 am: |
Both birds eat fruit and seeds. The loras seemed to be eating out of one particular tree that had brown seed pods maybe 5-6 inches long.
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By Glen Reem on Wednesday, March 7, 2001 - 11:23 pm: |
Both species definitely appaear to be Watch Birds
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By Ellen Muller on Thursday, March 8, 2001 - 12:18 am: |
Thanks for posting the Lora and Prikichi pictures, Linda. Have you heard anything more about the annual Lora count that was scheduled for last November but was postponed until early this year? We were birdwatching near Rincon yesterday and a woman invited us to her kunuku to see all the loras she said were there. Wow! There was a tree just full of them. I'd say there were well over thirty of them. We couldn't stay long because the woman was in a hurry but I am hoping to get back there next week to check them out at at more leisurely pace.
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By Kerri Freeman on Thursday, March 8, 2001 - 2:48 am: |
Linda,thanks so much for posting these. Ellen's post says Lora count? Is there some worry about their number?
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By Linda Richter - NetTech on Thursday, March 8, 2001 - 9:16 am: |
Each year the lora population is counted to determine how many we still have and where they are. Unfortunately although the Lora is a protected species on Bonaire and world-wide, people still catch them for pets. Many loras are taken as chicks from the nest. A local education program has been implemented to teach the children about the loras. Many locals still do not know that it is illegal to take the birds. Technically speaking you are not suppose to keep them at all but the birds raised in captivity must continue to be taken care of. I don't think a plan has been figured out to license the current captive birds. Many loras are handed down to family and friends when people move off island.
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By Dara Walter on Thursday, March 8, 2001 - 2:12 pm: |
Linda, thanks for the pix! I had asked Ellen the other day about Lora's and Prikichi's....how funny! It had occurred to me that they were missing from this Avian celebration, and to me are a distinct part of the Bonairean landscape.
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By Josie on Friday, March 9, 2001 - 1:43 pm: |
Great photos, Linda. It was a thrill to see the "flock" across from your house while we were visiting. Alan and I also saw several small groups of Lora (we think they were) whilst driving around off the main road near Lagoen/Lagoen Hill, and felt blessed by those sightings also.
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By Hazel Scharosch on Friday, March 9, 2001 - 1:56 pm: |
Does Bonaire have a "national" bird?
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By Ellen Muller on Friday, March 9, 2001 - 9:11 pm: |
I don't think that Bonaire has an official national bird, Hazel. Bonaire is most famous for it's flamingos, considered the island's signature bird, with the lora coming in a close second.
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By Niki Harris on Saturday, July 7, 2001 - 9:59 pm: |
Lora or Prikichi? We kept calling all the green and yellow screechers loras, last month. But maybe these were prikichis... Anyone know?
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By Kerri Freeman on Sunday, July 8, 2001 - 12:09 am: |
Niki...don't know if it means anything or not...but if you look at the pix above, the Prikichi seem to have all-over yellow heads and breasts, and the lora, yellow faces but green breast, back of head etc. Unless it's an age-related thing, I don't know, of course, but I'd guess lora based on that...and a pair,too. Congrats to Bob, whichever they turn out to be..nice shot.
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By Ellen Muller on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 2:31 am: |
Niki, they are prikichis. You can see the differences between the two birds fairly well in these two pictures. The prikichi's bill, eyes and feet are darker and the feet are also smaller than the lora and the lora doesn't have any yellow on it's breast. Kerri, check the bird on the left in Bob's picture and you can see the yellow on it's breast. The color pattern of the prikichis head varies from orange to yellow , duller in young and immature. The parrot has a shorter tail, rounded wing in flight and a hollow wing beat. The prikichis flight is fast with rapid wing beats. You can also tell them apart by their sounds as Linda mentioned. All that said, they can be hard to tell apart sitting way up in the trees and the tops of cactus!
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By Kerri Freeman on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 3:57 am: |
Ellen, Thanks. It was worth being wrong for the extra pictures....but I confess, I wasn't sure whether the bird on the left had a yellow breast, or whether it might be reflected light....at least I started on the right path....and a 50% chance of being right.
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By Barry Gassert on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 4:08 am: |
Mannnnn, don't you people ever sleep? I thought I was bad at this....wow...you both take first prize, at least Ellen does, cuz I know her time zone...Kerri, where are you in relation to the East coast USA or Bonaire....
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By Niki Harris on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 12:45 pm: |
Thanks, Ellen, I'm glad you gave us two new close-ups. Your photos are so great!
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By Hazel Scharosch on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 11:04 pm: |
Beautiful pictures, Ellen - We've missed you! What camera do you use? Everything is so crisp and colorful. (Actually, I know it isn't the camera - it's your talent!) Nice to hear from you. :-)
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By Kerri Freeman on Wednesday, July 11, 2001 - 3:37 am: |
Ok, Barry, turanbout's fair play...I live in a place named by the Iroquois..some say "meeting place', some of the current Iroquois say the same word is 'town'. Those neurotic little rodents you said couldn't stand running water have lots of 'dam' business here. We fought the Americans 4 times from the old Fort that used to be on the Lakefront, but with time has moved..or the lake has. It is from here that an attack on the U.S. President's home which set it ablaze, resulted in the coat of paint that gave it the name "White House". I am a stone's throw from the moraine left by a retreating iceberg, and from the calcium carbonate that shows this area was once a tropical ocean....Besides the Iroquois, you would find the Huron,and other First Nations. Follow the path of the slaves escaping to freedom, a route you can still find today, and you will arrive eventually at this city, which is home to more than 170 nations and speaks 150 tongues...oh yeah...and with any luck will kick Beijing's butt and host the 2008 Olympics............
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By Barry Gassert on Wednesday, July 11, 2001 - 6:39 am: |
Kerri,
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By Josie on Wednesday, July 11, 2001 - 4:56 pm: |
I'm with you Barry, Toronto is also our favorite North American city. It's also, luckily, our nearest "big city" (to Rochester, NY), so we get there as often as we can. Sometimes, however, our only connection is flying out of there, which is much more convenient for us, generally, than US cities. Love Canada3000!!!
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By camerieresonia on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 1:53 pm: |
Beautiful picture of a lovely couple of birds THANKS SONIA
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By Henk van der Meer on Thursday, November 21, 2002 - 3:38 pm: |
Hello,
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