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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