WINTER 2002/VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1

For the Island of the Yellow-shouldered Parrot
BY JEFF WELLS
Audubon Camp in Maine hosts Bonaire park ranger

Recently the Lab of Ornithology teamed up with the Audubon Camp in Maine to help sponsor Clifford Cecilia, a park ranger from the Caribbean island of Bonaire, to attend an ornithology session at the world-famous camp.
Clifford Cecilia (third from left) took bird conservation knowledge back to his native Bonaire after attending Audubon Camp with instructors (left to right) Bonnie Bochan, Seth Benz, and (far right) Kenn Kaufman.
Jeff Wells
Bonaire, 60 miles off the coast of Venezuela, is one of only a few locations in the world that still harbors a breeding population of the threatened Yellow-shouldered Parrot (Amazona barbadensis). Approximately 400 of these beautiful parrots of the arid scrub occur in the wild on Bonaire. Unfortunately, three to four times that many are in captivity on the island, and young continue to be taken illegally from nests.

Bonaire has made great strides in conservation, but most park rangers have had little opportunity to learn about the island's birds and bird watchimg. Consequently, little work is being done to educate the public about birds and conservation.

Clifford, a native of Bonaire, attended the week-long ornithology session with 30 people from around the United States. His instructors included acclaimed author and ornithologist Kenn Kaufman.

"After seeing birds all my life, I was surprised to find out that there are still so many things that I did not know about them," Clifford says. "For example, I never realized there was so much to learn just about a bird's wing."

Since the 1940s, the Audubon Camp in Maine has trained, employed, and inspired thousands of bird conservationists, including Roger Tory Peterson, Alan Cruickshank, Brian Harrington, and Steve Kress. The hope is that Clifford and other international visitors who participate in the future will apply some of the ideas and inspirations in their own countries.

To sponsor an international student at a future camp session, contact Seth Benz by email or (207) 338-0940.
For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Miyoko Chu, Editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, New York. Phone (607) 254-2451. Email mcc37@cornell.edu