Kralendijk- According to information from the Echo Foundation, in the 2021 Annual Roost Count fewer Loras were counted, compared to previous years.

On Saturday 30th January 2021, 93 dedicated volunteers, national park rangers and Echo staff joined forces to count at 36 roost sites across the island, including 8 in Washington Slagbaai National Park. 

On the day of the count, volunteers wake up before 6 am and make their way to their pre-assigned roost site. Here, they simultaneously count the parrots, as they wake up and fly out for the morning. Yellow-shouldered Amazons or loras, as the locals affectionately call them, sleep communally in trees across the island. Echo adds the totals collected on the morning of the count and then use the data to estimate the minimum population size on the island. 

Count

While this year fewer Loras were counted than the results recorded during pre-roost checks and in recent years, according to Echo, a low(er) number doesn’t necessarily mean the population is decreasing.

A lower count can also be caused by external factors such as heavy rainfall. High rainfall can lead to the presence of more foliage on the island and in turn lower visibility.

The Foundation is are currently conducting post-roost count checks in hopes to understand where the Yellow-shouldered Amazons have gone and what environmental factors can attribute to the results.

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