Author Archives: greghomer

Bird Quiz Quickie: What the…?

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Our last Bird Quiz was a tough one, it seems.  We had only one guess and that guess was a good one…but, it was not the bird WE thought it was.

First of all, here is the photo in question (courtesy of Jo Davidson):

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We think this is a photo of a female White-winged Becard.  The most excellent guess, from SVBC follower David Fielding, was a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet.

The wing bars appear buffy-colored rather than white, as with the N.B. Tyrannulet.

BUT…Mr. Fielding…your guess was superb!  Ergo, prior to your next visit to San Vito please contact me, Greg Homer (see below), and I’ll see to it that you receive one dozen home made cookies.

eltangaral@gmail.com

 

Teacher Exchange: What Fun–What Success!

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A Detectives de Aves (BirdSleuth-International) teacher exchange program between San Vito Bird Club (San Vito, Costa Rica) and Community Cloud Forest Conservation in the highlands of Guatemala recently concluded, with bilateral reports of great success, good fellowship and a promise for the future of Detectives de Aves.

Our San Vito Bird Club education team–Paula Mesen, Carla Azofeifa and SVBC President Peter Wendell–returned from the beautiful highlands of Guatemala in April after spending a week observing and learning from their Guatemalan counterparts. Also attending the visit was Dr. Lilly Briggs from Cornell University, coordinator and leader of  this very special project.

In early May, the Guatemalan education team reciprocated by visiting us and participating in our local classes.  Again, many, many thanks to Dr. Briggs for her guidance and vision.

Based on reports from the Detectives de Aves teachers from both San Vito and Guatemala, this exchange of teaching techniques and styles proved very valuable to all involved and we hope that more of these international visits will become available in the future.

As always, your generous donations to the SVB and the Detectives de Aves classes are much appreciated.

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Bird Quiz Quickie!/Prueba de Aves-Rapido!

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The first correct identification of this bird (shown below) wins something good to eat (like cookies; about 12) home-baked by SVBC President-Emeritus Alison Olivieri.  Good luck!

Send your answer to: president@sanvitobirdclub.org

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La primera identificacion correcta de esta ave (abajo) gana algo buena para comer (como 12 galletas), horneado por Presidente-Emeritus Alison Olivieri.  Buena suerte!

Envia su repuesta a:  president@sanvitobirdclub.org

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Trogon Songs of San Vito

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This time of year our two most common Trogons–the Gartered Trogon (yellow) and the Collared Trogon (red)–spend a good portion of the day singing their songs of territory and romance.

The Gartered Trogon…with its yellow belly, blue head (male), green back, and bright eye ring…sings a high-pitched single tone call, about three notes per second, usually while perched on a horizontal branch.

The Collared Trogon…with its red belly, green head (male) and white stripe separating the two…sings out with a plaintive 1-3 note call; lower pitched and slower in cadence.  Again, the Collared Trogon usually does this while perched on a mid-canopy horizontal branch.

I am including two YouTube links to these beautiful birds giving their calls.  Hope you get to hear these two Trogons and even see them in or near your own neighborhood.

Buen viaje y buena suerte! Nuestra equipo de Detectives de Aves va a Guatemala!

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Nuestra equipo de Detectives de Aves (Bird Sleuth) va Guatemala para un intercambio cultural.  Profesoras Carla Azofeifa y Paula Mesen y Presidente de SVBC Peter Wendell visitara y observara una escuela indigena y sus clases de Detectives de Aves por una semana.

Tendremos un informe a su regreso.

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Bird Quiz Quickie…We Have a Winner!

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Congratulations to SVBC President-Emeritus Alison Wickwire Olivieri for correctly identifying our Bird Quiz Quickie.  The bird pictured below is a Pale-breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis albescens).

Note the faint eye stripe and particularly the very diagnostic tail configuration; hence the name Spinetail.

FYI: Some folks have mentioned the rather poor quality of this photograph, making identification a challenge.  In the field, birds rarely pose fully exposed and in full sunlight.  These Bird Quiz Quickies will regularly include photographs of less-than-perfect composition.  But there will always be visual clues to aid in identification.  In birding, we live by the motto: ‘If it was easy, it wouldn’t be any fun.’

(photo courtesy of Sarah Beeson-Jones)

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Quiz Bird Quickie

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The first SVBC member to correctly identify this bird wins one dozen Snickerdoodle cookies!

Send your response to:

eltangaral@gmail.com

(Pepe Castiblanco, Sarah and Charles Beeson-Jones are not eligible.)

Photo taken in rice fields behind Ciudad Neily, February 2018.

Good luck!

(photo courtesy of Sarah Beeson-Jones)

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SVBC Annual Meeting 2018: A Great Success!

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Over 30 San Vito Bird Club members graciously attended our Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 25th at Cascata del Bosco.  Some highlights from the meeting (with photos below):

  1. A recounting of some of the more unusual and exciting bird sightings from the previous year.  Birds such as: Lemon-rumped Tanager, Rosy Thrush-tanager, albino Black Vulture, Three-wattled Bellbird, Common Potoo and Blue-winged Warbler.
  2. A recapitulation of our VERY successful Bird Sleuth (Detectives de Aves) education program and a preview of exciting events to come in 2018.
  3. A stirring and inspirational keynote speech from SVBC member and local businessman/naturalist Pepe Castiblanco.  Pepe recounted his dedicated struggles to evolve from San Jose cab driver to San Vito naturalist/guide.  Plus, he shared some of his most recent and jaw-dropping bird photographs.
  4. Expected bird taxonomy changes coming in 2018.
  5. Winners of the 2018 Bird Feeder Contest!  First place: Gail Hull (2nd year in a row) with 25 species.  Second place: Judy Richardson with 24 species.  Third place: Jo Davidson with 23 species.
  6. Announcement of our NEW SVBC President…Peter Wendell.
  7. Recitation of moving poem by Gail Hull.
  8. A SUPERB brunch provided by the Cascata del Bosco crew.
  9. A silent auction of extraordinary artwork from some of our members.

To those of you in attendance…thank you for your continued support.  And personally, thanks very much for joining me on the Sunday bird walks.

To those members who live abroad or were unable to attend; your continued support of the San Vito Bird Club is ALWAYS APPRECIATED!

(photo courtesy of Jo Davidson: new SVBC President Peter Wendell and out-going President Greg Homer)

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(photo courtesy of Alison Olivieri: keynote speaker Pepe Castiblanco)

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(photo courtesy of Alison Olivieri: SVBC artist in residence Kathy Bauer)

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SVBC Bird Feeder Contest: Rules Reminder

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Are you competing in this year’s San Vito Bird Club Bird Feeder Contest?  If so, here are the rules and regulations once again:

Rules—1. Your bird feeder(s) must be viewable by you, and if you have more than one, all must be viewable from a single spot.  In other words, you can’t have one here and one way out on the other side of the barn.  2. The birds must consume food from your bird feeder or around the bottom of your bird feeder.  3. Whatever food you put on the feeder(s) is up to you.  4. We use the honor system.  If you say you had a Laughing Kookaburra on your feeder, we’ll accept it.  But PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE…be sure you are correctly identifying your birds.  5.  Submit your list to Greg Homer on or before our Annual Meeting on Feb. 25th.  6. First, second and third place submissions receive a prize!

To be eligible for the Bird Feeder Contest:

  1. You must be a member of the San Vito Bird Club with your 2018 dues paid in full. You may pay at the door.
  2. You must bring a paper copy of your list to the Annual Meeting at Cascata del Bosco no later than 8:45am on Sunday, Feb. 25th; hand it to me (Greg Homer).

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(Photo courtesy of Helen LeVasseur)