By Nea Talbot Bermuda got a rare chance to glimpse an endangered species yesterday when a cahow chick was brought in to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo for medical treatment.

Government Conservation Officer David Wingate, who spearheaded the project to bring the birds back from the brink of extinction, takes cahow chicks who have been abandoned by their parents to the facility to be nursed back to health.

He noted that yesterday's appearance of the chick was a rare opportunity for the public to see the bird as the species was nocturnal.

Dr. Wingate, who oversees the cahows' nesting sites on Nonsuch Island, said an average of two chicks each year had to be brought to the facility.

He said cahows needed both parents to rear it but some chicks were abandoned and the chicks that were found were taken to BAMZ for help.

Each chick is valuable as cahow pairs only produce one egg per year.

"There are always a few that get into trouble,'' he said. "There are a couple that die at hatching and that is a very critical stage.'' The art of nursing a cahow chick has been a learning process and Dr. Wingate noted it took several experiments with diet to get the right mix for the chicks.

"The chicks have been responding well to a blend of food containing fresh squid,'' he said. "We have been able to put them back in their nests very successfully, but it is still a learning process.'' He praised the efforts of BAMZ head aquarist Jennifer Gray who helps look after the abandoned chicks.

Ms Gray said: "It can be exhausting work because it's a nocturnal bird and you are working on its schedule but it has been a real privilege working with an animal so rare.

"The cahow is a very sweet and placid bird, unlike come of the other sea birds who can be pecky and defensive. I think that all of Bermuda should see these birds and continue to help bring them back from extinction.'' Dr. Wingate said the cahow chick is expected to be returned to Nonsuch Island sometime next week, where the number of cahows has climbed to 56 pairs -- a 150 percent improvement over the population in the 1960s.

"The cahows are in good shape,'' he said.

ANIMALS ALS