At the beginning of this year I was low, there is no denying it. Throughout this year I had a lot of demons that I was struggling to shake, but I said back in January that I am going to come out swinging.
The amalgamation of that aim concluded on the 25th June, after finding out I achieved a classification of 2:1 for my degree I officially graduated from higher education with an extra distinction in a diploma awarded by the college. First of all about the classification although I know that a 2:1 is a very commendable effort I can't say I wasn't a little disappointed, after all I had been chasing a first ever since I started.
However, that thought has become secondary as the actual day of graduation approached. I was so excited for it, all of the hard work so many of us had done had finally payed off in one big spectacle of celebration (regardless of the celebrations somewhat irrelevant speeches). None the less we collected our scrolls and many a photograph was taken. It was great to have spent the day with some of the friends I have shared this journey with over the last 2 years. If any of you are reading this, I know I don't always outwardly show or express it but I am proud of each and every one of you for what you have achieved. Graduation is the final endgame for any student and is easily one of the best days I've had the pleasure of experiencing, the atmosphere, the people and the result meant so much to everyone I encountered. The stage is now ours, we are the architects now and even if we can't all see it the future ahead is bright & full of good times. Below are some of my favourite pictures taken on the day and I am also going to post a little speech. If you went to the movies earlier in the year to see a certain 'amazing' film you may recognise it, I read it the other day and thought it was just appropriate for the occasion so enjoy.
What better way to Live?
"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but
there will be dark days ahead of us too.
There will be days where you feel all alone and that's when hope is needed
most.
No matter how buried it gets or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you
will hold on to hope.
Keep it alive! We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope.. People need that.
And even if we fail... what better way is there to live?
I know that we all think we're immortal, we're supposed to feel that way, we're
graduating. The future is and should be bright, but, like our brief three years here, what makes life valuable is that it doesn't last forever, what
makes it precious is that it ends. I know that now more than ever. And I say it
today of all days to remind us that time is luck. So don't waste it living
someone else's life, make yours count for something. Fight for what matters to
you, no matter what. Because even if you fall short, what better way is there
to live?
As we look around here today at all the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we're saying goodbye but we will carry a piece of each
other into everything we do next.
To remind us of who we are... and what we were meant to be.
I've had a great 3 years with you... I'll miss you all very much."
As a footnote, this will be my last entry for the next 2 weeks as the Africa adventure begins on Saturday, but rest assured when I return there will be many a story to share on here.
It was World Parrot Day on May 31st. This is a
day that will resonate with many millions of parrots share a captive
life with humans, including me, yet not so many of these humans will in
fact know that nearly a third of all psittacine species worldwide are
classified as threatened or endangered.
One of my parrots - Charley
Psittacines are Zygodactylie - Top Right
Psittacines
are an order of birds that consists of more then 350 individual species
(not counting genetic morphs humans have bred for aesthetic purposes).
Species that fall under the order Psittaciformes includes Macaws,
Amazons, Lovebirds, Cockatoos, Parakeets and Lorikeets.Psittacines are
generally found in warmer areas of the world with the greatest
diversities existing in Australasia, Central America and South America,
although some species such as the Indian Ring-Necked Parakeet have made
their home in milder/colder climates such as the United Kingdom. Despite
the number of species, all parrots share a curved beak and are all what
is called zygodactyls, which means they have 4 toes on each foot, 2
pointing forward and 2 pointing backwards. Parrot species usually feed
on a mixture of seeds, fruits, flowers, buds, nuts and sometimes, small
insects.
Psittacines
have been popular companions throughout history because they are
highly intelligent, charismatic, colourful and largely vocal. Some may
even master imitating human speech, from the hilarious and cool as shown
below to the outstanding as demonstrated by the famous Alex the Parrot,
also linked below.
Parrot sings Drowning Pool - Let the Bodies hit the Floor
Americas got Talent - Echo the Amazon
Alex the Parrot. If you haven't read his story, I highly recommend it. Alex was one of the groundbreaking animals in regards to avian cognition.
Although
currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES), which bans the sale of any wild caught
species, the sheer popularity of parrots as a domestic companion drives
the illegal trade far beyond any possible sustainable boundary. Besides trapping, the main threats facing many psittacine species are loss of habitat and the encroachment of humans including an vast increase in the mount of agricultural land leading to severe population displacements for a number of species.
The site mongabay.com
included the clearest diagram I could find relating to the conservation state of the
worlds psittacines along with a table comprised of IUCN's red list data
on parrot species showing the large number of species that range from
extinct to near threatened and their current population trends. Go check it out: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/endangered/charts/birds-parrots.html
Copyright: Rhett A. Butler + Mongabay
The rest of this post will focus on one species in particular that has had my attention form nay years. A lot of conservation has been done with this species and 2 recently made animated films have helped project much more focus onto the critically endangered species.
Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)
Captive Macaw - East Germany - Copyright VoA, 2011
Spix's Macaw is one of the worlds rarest birds and was thought to be beyond saving when it was declared extinct in the wild in the year 2000 after the last male disappeared. However, the lack of conducted surveying in the Brazilian rainforest means that a true assessment can not be obtained, although any remaining undiscovered wild populations would be very small in number leading to an official classification of Critically endangered by IUCN. They are a small macaw at 55-57cm in length which and has a blue-grey plumage across its whole body. It fades from bright blue on the tail and wings to a more ashy-blue colouration on the head with a ring of featherless, dark grey skin around the eyes.
They are endemic to small area in the northeastern corner of Brazil. By 2002 there was a captive population of around 60 macaws around the world, mostly in private collections, but by 2010 this number increased to around 71 individuals. The existing captive population is
thought to have descended from just 7 wild caught founders. As of 2013
there is approximately 96 macaws in captivity, 83 of which are
participating in an international breeding programme. Other populations
are held in classified locations in order to protect them from illegal
activity.
Extinction & Conservation
RIO & RIO 2 by Dreamworks
By the time of the macaws discovery in 1819, it was already classed as rare after 100's of years of intensive burning, logging and grazing of its habitat. Deforestation and human encroachment following the European colonisation of eastern Brazil also aided in the decline of the macaw in the 20th century. Following this, the introduction of invasive and predatory species such as the black rat, feral cat and mongoose which preyed upon the birds and their eggs. Recent evidence also suggests that the vast conversion to agricultural land and the building of hydro-electric dams in the 1970's have changed the structure of the native flora displacing the macaws from its original range. The final nail in the coffin for the macaw came in the 1970's and 1980's as hunting and trapping alongside existing deforestation threats decimated populations. The habitat the macaw lives in is also important, many of the trees in their original range are between 200-300 years old and there has been no regenerative growth in over 50 years, possibly due to climate change which may end up reducing the reclaimable habitat. The charming animated films RIO have helped raise awareness of the species amongst new generations as breeding efforts continue.
Spix's Macaw chicks (AWWP)
Until 2001 the recovery of the Spix's Macaw was implemented through the Permanent Committee for the Recovery of the Spix's Macaw (CPRAA) composed of the Brazilian government, scientific advisers and owners who held macaw in captivity. Vital ecological and behavioural information was gained from the solitary male, including observing a successful breeding and rearing of chicks with a Blue-Winged Macaw female means that this second species could be used as a foster for captive breeding programmes in the future. However, internal disputes led the Brazilian government to suspend the CPRAA in 2001 which dealt a huge blow to efforts to reintroduce the macaw back into the wild. However, being from such a low initial captive population the macaws suffer from very low genetic heterozygosity, leading to the initial birds being inbred numerous times leaving the population facing high infertility and embryo deaths. Inbreeding is also thought to have contributed to delayed maturity in chicks and more cocks than hens being hatched. The majority of hatched chicks are hand raised by experienced staff, to reduce the risk of losing live chicks (initially 1 in 10 eggs). The Spix's Macaw also has a complicated pairing system, they choose their own mate, so getting the best genetic pairing is not always possible as some may act like a pair together but will not actually mate. However, new advancements in 2009 led to artificial insemination being successfully carried out to fertilise eggs.
Go look at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) who are carrying out the leading work in Spix's Macaw conservation: https://www.facebook.com/awwp.spix
Also have a look at the World Parrot Trust website to see all of the work that they do to help parrot species worldwide: http://www.parrots.org/
Birdman.
The Birdman Chronicles creates no claim or credit for images featured on this blog unless
otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful
owners and every effort is made to link back to original content or photographer/ named
whenever possible. If you own rights to any of the images, and do not
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I have finally reached the milestone of 2000 pageviews!!
A huge thankyou to all of you who visit and check out my updates. I may not seem like a lot but in under a year there is something humbling about knowing that 2000 people have checked out my ramblings. Setting up this blog was a step that took me right out of my comfort zone, having always being quite a private person, so again, thank you all. It means a lot.
Onwards and upwards with the blog though, I have many more updates coming, including my huge trip to Africa in just over 2 weeks! Animal of the Week should be back up and running as planned post-Africa as well. I also have a plan for an animal related YouTube series next spring/summer which will be part conducted through the blog, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Any other suggestions for features that could be included on the blog in future are also appreciated, just leave suggestions in a comment and I'll see what I can do.
As for the 2 updates mentioned in my last post, they are coming, apologies for the lateness, but contrary to my belief June has not calmed down yet, they are coming though I promise.
Just a little social paradigm update for you all. I am behind on a couple of updates of events that happened in May, purely for the fact that May is a really busy month for me & I've had very little time actually to myself.
First of all it was mine & one of my housemates 21st Birthday's in the middle of the month. This involved a few days of alcohol & social gatherings which was topped off by an amazing night out in town in fancy dress. It was one of the best nights I've had in a long time, check out some of the pictures below (I'm Captain America =D). Its great to be reminded sometimes of the people that are around you, especially during some especially rough waters.
The Whole group
The Newington House 2013/2014
Look Casual
FREEDOM!
The insane bunch that have helped keep me insane over the last 3 years
As you can see, dog wasn't too impressed either...
Second of all it was my moms & my brothers birthdays the week after, so that too was filled with merry endeavours. This is on top of planning for Africa which looms ever closer day by day. To cap it off though I had another busy weekend working in the garden at home and dealing with my dog who had been unceremoniously jumped and bitten by a Labrador whilst out on her morning walk, just to add a bit of drama to the proceedings. Luckily, only one canine managed to pierce the skin before her lighting quick reactions took over and got her out of the danger, leaving her with a nice little puncture wound.
That's about it really. Now were in June, things can settle down a bit, I didn't even get a chance to go up to the Falconry Centre, which is unusual. But business is resumed.
However, that thought has become secondary as the actual day of graduation approached. I was so excited for it, all of the hard work so many of us had done had finally payed off in one big spectacle of celebration (regardless of the celebrations somewhat irrelevant speeches). None the less we collected our scrolls and many a photograph was taken. It was great to have spent the day with some of the friends I have shared this journey with over the last 2 years. If any of you are reading this, I know I don't always outwardly show or express it but I am proud of each and every one of you for what you have achieved. Graduation is the final endgame for any student and is easily one of the best days I've had the pleasure of experiencing, the atmosphere, the people and the result meant so much to everyone I encountered. The stage is now ours, we are the architects now and even if we can't all see it the future ahead is bright & full of good times. Below are some of my favourite pictures taken on the day and I am also going to post a little speech. If you went to the movies earlier in the year to see a certain 'amazing' film you may recognise it, I read it the other day and thought it was just appropriate for the occasion so enjoy. 
"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but
there will be dark days ahead of us too. 
