What is the PTCA
Parrot Tree Caretakers Association (PCTA) is a community-based organization that was founded in 2020 by Nick Byaba, together with local farmers in his area, growing and protecting oil palm trees as the most favourable feeding trees for grey parrots. The PTCA is a registered organization at town council level with the registration number CBS/BTC/204/2023 and a certificate of recognition.
The PTCA unites the local farmers who are growing and protecting feeding trees for grey parrots and other wildlife within the region, sharing the vision of a just world for humans and wildlife and the mission to be the leading caretakers and stewards of parrots in their natural environment.
Nick explaining about Parrot Tree Caretakers Association
Rose and Rodger selecting parrot seedlings for planting in their Gardens that were given as a donation
What we have achieved so far
As the PTCA, we are proud to be taking part in the conservation of the endangered grey parrots together with other stakeholders and well-wishers.
Here are some of our achievements:
- Tree planting Project Over 6,000 indigenous tree seedlings have been planted by the farmers around Kibale Forest and all are doing well. The already existing 36 oil palm trees, African tulip trees and lucky bean trees have been protected by the local farmers within five different villages. Since they know the value of these trees to conservation, they protect them rather than use them as fuel or timber, and look forward to planting other additional trees.
- Attacking the conservation challenge from the roots. We have visited four schools, teaching the children about general conservation and parrots in particular. We found arguments for parrot posters to help in the sensitization of the local communities and schools.
- Monitoring of the feeding sites and flyways of grey parrots has been constant with the help of enthusiastic local guides who record the behaviours of parrots to help in future conservation. Monitoring of the integration of the 58 newly released grey parrots with the resident parrots in order to follow up on their success back in the wild.
Acknowledgements
With much honour, I appreciate the impact and support of the following people towards the PTCA and the personal support given to me and gearing the conservation of parrots.
Firstly, I am grateful to the local farmers for embracing the idea of protecting and planting more food trees for the parrots. Secondly, the local leaders who supported our endeavours with parrot conservation. Finally, I appreciate the park management, the warden, and the ecological monitoring and research for their tireless support and recognition of my work as the chairperson of the PTCA.
Monitoring and Research
In collaboration with the Sunbird Hill team and the Bigodi Wetlands community, we started a monitoring programme of the flyways and flying patterns of grey parrots from the national park to their feeding places and back. Another data sheet covers the behaviours and interactions of ringed and non-ringed parrots and their interactions with other wildlife.
We also do tree phenology of the possible feeding trees to determine the foraging trends of the grey parrots.
Nick talks about challenging in monitoring
Grey parrots flying freely in their natural environment
What We Discovered
The data sheets we designed cover the flyways/routes taken by parrots going and returning from feeding as well as estimating the group sizes; the maximum of 256 grey parrots in a group has been recorded.
Another data sheet covers the feeding sites and we collect the behaviours shown by parrots while feeding, as well as interactions between ringed and non-ringed parrots.
Many other fascinating things were recorded, for example:
- The mimicking of other birds to avoid predators and chase away competitors during feeding.
- The mimicking of the African wood owl, the red-chested cuckoo and the western black oriole.
- Rolling in flight has also been observed during flyway monitoring and we are still wondering why they do this; is it over-excitement?
A team of four lead monitors, helped by volunteers from different organizations around Bigodi Town, work in a rotational form around the feeding places and flyways, collecting data every Monday morning and evening.
A growing Population
We have observed a gradual increase in the number of grey parrot chicks since we started monitoring. We have also seen more parrots coming to the feeding places and the interactions between the ringed and non-ringed parrots give us hope for an increase in the number of parrots in the future.
Releasing Parrots
Due to the illegal pet trade, grey parrots are being poached from the wild. When confiscated by the authorities, parrots are rehabilitated before being released back into the wild.
The first lot of grey parrots was released in Kibale Forest in 2011. In 2023, another 58 greys were released in this area, and this is where the PTCA was involved in sidelining the release centre close to the original flyways of the native parrots being monitored.
Grey parrots from a rehabilitation center at Entebbe zoo and ready to be released at Kibale Forest, being welcomed by local authorities
The PTCA are the custodians of the feeding trees for the greys in the community. Because of this, the release team had to rely solely on the previous information collected on the feeding and flyways patterns by the association to determine where exactly to place the release centre so that the newly released parrots would easily find companions to move with and access food in the park and outside the community.
An enclosure established being demonstrated before Greys are set free back to their natural habitat
After the release, 56 greys made it back to the wild, and only two greys were returned to the rehabilitation centre. The ongoing monitoring by the Sunbird Hill team and the PTCA is following up on the welfare of the released parrots.
Interactions between the released parrots that are ringed and non-ringed parrots are closely observed during monitoring, which predicts the success of the released and resident parrots.
Welcome to Bird School
Five Village Bird Clubs have been formed by “In the Shadow of Chimpanzees” in five different villages. Every Sunday morning, a group of dedicated mentors, nine in number, go out to teach and inspire children with their love for nature and conservation.
The children learn various topics that are field-based, ranging from knowledge about birds, insects, snakes/reptiles, mammals, soil, plants, wildlife laws and anti-poaching measurements, as well as guiding skills in case they want to take this as a career.
Kids of the Village Bird Club trying to mimic parrots to see who made the best call
The children are celebrating important wildlife and conservation days, such as the World Parrot Day, and following the suggestion of planting more trees to support parrot conservation in their homes.
Other days, such as World Ranger Day, World Snake Day and Earth Day, are now being observed, and, talking about snakes, we were surprised when children found a snake while opening up a trail and had no thought of killing it.
Since we cannot influence adults into conservation, we teach and inspire children to love nature and, in return, they fascinate their parents with their love and also influence the activities of the parents regarding the environment.
The children in the Village Bird Clubs also teach the younger and older siblings in their families who do not get a chance to interact with passionate mentors.
The Grey Parrot Museum, Uganda
We plan to locate the parrot museum where the land has already been secured. The museum structure/building is still a question of construction because the funds are not yet available. The interior design, display cabinets, audiovisual outputs, wood carvings, wall paintings, reference books and materials still need to be worked on to make the dream of the museum come true. Here, we call upon well-wishers, friends, nature lovers and all the parrot enthusiasts around the world to come up with genuine support to make the world’s first grey parrot museum come true.
Children’s designs for the Grey Parrot Museum, Uganda, and how they envision it. They were proud to be part of the team
Children’s designs for the Grey Parrot Museum
During the Sunday Village Bird Club meeting, l introduced the idea of the Parrot Museum to the kids, and they embraced it. The kids were very excited, imagining the design of the first parrot museum. They drew sketches and explained their drawings. I asked them if they would be interested in joining us during the museum’s construction and recorded a few video clips of them describing their drawings, with their fascinating dreams for the parrot museum. drawings, with their fascinating dreams for the parrot museum. Their contributions inspired me to dream bigger about the parrot museum.
Their contributions inspired me to dream bigger about the parrot museum.
Children’s designs for the Grey Parrot Museum, Uganda, and how they envision it. They were proud to be part of the team.
Sketches of Children
