Seventeen Blues on Cerro El Peli

On March 9, 2026, Alberto brought the first 14 blue-and-yellow macaws to the pre-release aviary on Cerro El Peli. The following day he returned with 3 more, and so 17 Ara ararauna came to rest beneath the wire mesh and among the branches of the trees growing inside the enclosure — that space donated by Jerónimo Martins and the proyecto Ara, where the scarlet macaws also make their home. The wooden perches filled with turquoise and gold plumage, and the aviary, which from the outside already looks like a piece of jungle netted against the sky, took on that loud, unruly din that only parrots can make when there are enough of them. Meanwhile, beyond the aviary walls, the scene had plenty of its own to offer: 18 Ara ararauna ranging free around the release site, plus a cheja wandering about as though it knew full well that this hillside belonged to it. Alberto noted down the count, took his photographs, and closed out the day's report.