Great Gull Island participants: Grace, Matt and Peter
Cormons, and Helen Hays working with Alberto Campos and members of Aquasis in
Ceara, Alexander Lees in Para and Pedro Lima and a team of five in Sergipe.
Mike Dawkins, from Australia, joined us on February 4 to help with netting and
complete a molt study of Common and Roseate Terns.
Alberto Campos, Project Executive
Coordinator/Aquasis –arrives to begin coastal survey
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
Alberto Campos met us at the Fortaleza, Ceara airport
January 25 and drove us to the hotel where we slept well after the nine hour
flight. Alberto picked us up the
following morning and took us to Aquasis to see the new manatee facility, a
very impressive set up. The center
includes a number of different size pools, where young manatees can swim and
grow as well as two rooms for surgery. In Florida it was found young manatees
have a higher survival rate in captivity if they are put in a pool with a
female. The researchers are hoping to
find a female to accompany any young manatees brought to the center. Until now Aquasis did not qualify to keep
young manatees and had to fly them to Recife to be raised. It is thought that manatees raised in
captivity often return to the area where they are released. The Aquasis facility will enable Aquasis
personnel to raise young manatees they find and release them in the area near
Aquasis, thereby increasing the chances these animals will return and help
increase the local population.
Late in the afternoon we checked a beach where we had seen
Roseate Terns in the past and where, Marcelo Holderbaum of Aquasis had seen
banded Roseates in 2012. The tide was too high to see much of the beach, but we
did see a blue plastic banded Semipalmated Sandpiper. Alberto said it had probably been banded by a
group from New Jersey Audubon which has been banding this species in the state
of Maranhão.
Quixaba model sailboats in the 2012 Regatta
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
Our next stop was the village of Quixaba where the fishermen
are helping us with a coastal project to raise awareness of the terns and
protect them. We were greeted by many of
the people who work annually to put on the Tern Festival, a celebration
recognizing the importance of the terns to the community.
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Ana Jesus, Aquasis volunteer
modeling tern outfit made for the Tern Festival 2012.
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
Quixaba before lunch
Top row – left to right: Helen Hays, Jason Mobley
(Executive Coordinator/Aquasis), Peter Cormons, Grace Cormons, Matt Cormons, Joseline
and Marie Felipe
Bottom row – left to right: Juaci Araujo Olivieri- Aquasis
director and coordinator of village staff who prepare for the annual regatta in
Quixaba, Vinicius Gabriel Filipe da Silva-volunteer, Francisco Jose Claudio da
Silva organizes tern events in the village for the Tern Festival, Alberto
Campos
(PHOTO ANA JESUS)
Ana Jesus modeled a tern costume made by Maria da Silva worn
in the 2012 Tern Festival. We then sat
down for lunch, which was delicious and was made by Maria and Joseline da
Silva. After lunch some of the students in the village performed songs and
dances taught them by the village elders.
The words of one of the songs mention terns and the importance of
protecting them because they show the fishermen where to fish.
Boys demonstrating historic dances performed at the Tern Festival 2012
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
Girls demonstrating historic dances performed at the Tern Festival 2012
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
Drummers at the Tern Festival 2012
(PHOTO MATT
CORMONS)
Raimondo Francisco Filho singing the Tern Song after lunch, Ana Jesus to his left
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
After lunch we thanked all the performers and said goodbye
to everyone and began driving east along the coast with Alberto. After the
first day Alberto changed cars so we could drive on the beach. Although we did not see any terns we did see
a small group of Red Knots in which there were a number of color-flagged
birds. Alberto took pictures of these
and the numbers on the flags are quite clear. We are looking for information on
where these birds were banded. Throughout our trip in Ceara we appreciated
Alberto providing the truck, driving, choosing a place to stay and lending us Brazilian
Real when we could not cash traveler’s checks.
Special thanks to Jason and Peter who rode in the open back of the truck
January 27 - 29!
Alexander Lees, Laboratorio de Ornitologia/CZO, Museu Paracnse Emilio Goeldi, checking for terns on the north coast of Para. Alexander guided us in Para and netted with us on Ilha do Saugra.
(PHOTO NÁRGILA MOURA)
Scarlet Ibis over the shoreline in Para
(PHOTO ALEXANDER LEES)
On January 29, we returned to Fortaleza and flew to Belem in
the state of Para. We arrived about
midnight and were very glad Alexander Lees, who would join us the next morning,
had made a reservation for us in a hotel there. After meeting Alex the morning
of February 1, Peter rented a car. He
did all the driving in Para and drove us to Salinopolis the first day. Alex
knew the area very well and we checked the beaches east and west of this city. On
our second day in the area Alex and Peter spotted two Roseate Terns and a few
Common Terns west of Salinopolis. Alex had seen color-banded Roseates in this
area in August and October 2011. As we drove along the shore Alex, who spoke
fluent Portuguese, checked at every dock we passed to ask the fishermen if they
had or knew of anyone who might have bands.
He told the fishermen we did not want the bands, but would like to read
the numbers and we then would return the bands.
The fishermen knew about bands, some knew someone who might have one
band, but they did not seem particularly interested in bands. I thought this was encouraging because it
might mean, in this area, at least, there was little interest in collecting
bands worn by the terns.
Returning to Belem on February 4, we flew to Salvador to
meet Pedro Lima, probably the most skilled netter in South America. Mike Dawkins, who had flown in from Australia,
joined us for breakfast the morning of February 5. He hoped to finish a molt
study of Roseate and Common Terns he began when we netted with Pedro in 2010. After
breakfast we drove to Ilha do Saugra to set up the nets. Everything went well, with one exception. In
the middle of the first night Pedro had appendicitis and left to have his
appendix out the following day. Zildomar took over for Pedro and we all were
glad that we had a boatman spending the night who could take Pedro in.
Banding shelter Ilha do Saugra –ready for netting.
(PHOTO ALEXANDER LEES)
While checking the nets, passed Turtle in hole
laying eggs – Ilha do Saugra.
(PHOTO
ALEXANDER LEES)
Bags holding birds prior to processing
(PHOTO
ALEXANDER LEES)
Netting went well. We netted several Great Gull Island birds
and Mike collected enough data on molt to finish his study. We spent the last
night at Pedro’s because he lives near the airport and trying to get to the
airport during Carnival in Salvador would have been impossible. Pedro’s wife
Rita helped us with everything and saw that we were well fed. Pedro’s son and his wife Iliana visited and
Iliana helped Rita in addition to bringing her sons to meet us. It was all fun and Pedro seemed well on the
way to recovery when we left.
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Pedro’s porch-Arembepe, Brazil.
Back row from left to right: Pedro Lima, Rita Lima, Mike Dawkins, Grace Cormons, Peter Cormons. Front row: Iliana Lima, Helen Hays.
(PHOTO MATT CORMONS)
