Please join us, the San Vito Bird Club, for another Sunday birdwalk at the Wilson Botanical Garden on Sept. 8th. Meet up at the Recepcion office at 7am. As always, these walks are free-free-free. First timers are welcome. Binoculars, guide books and actual naturalists are available for your use.
Southern migrant birds are now trickling back to their southern home! And by ‘trickling’ I’m not referring to those pesky spots you see on your car…JA-JA-JA.
Rendering of some northern migrant bird, courtesy of Greg Homer
Please join the San Vito Bird Club, at 7:00am on Sunday, Aug. 25 for our regular Wilson Garden Bird Walk. Meet up at the recepcion office where our odyssey will begin. Need binoculars? We’ll provide them.
This Sunday is the last Sunday in August, which doesn’t mean a damn thing…I’m just making small talk. But the northern migrant birds traditionally start to arrive in Sept, so…
Coffee and social time will follow in the Comedor. Hope to see you there; everyone welcome.
A sizable wire cage containing 206 white doves, with each of the doves representing a country competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, was prepared for the Opening Ceremonies. At a given signal all 206 of the white doves were to burst out of the cage and majestically fly around.
‘Hey,’ said one of the doves to the other 205 of his colleagues. ‘My father-in-law had this gig four years ago at the Olympics in Tokyo.’
‘What did he have to say?’ queried another white dove.
‘He said, it’s horrible! Apparently, Peregrin Falcons, Merlins and other birds of prey have figured out that the opening ceremony of the Olympics is like a full-course buffet.’
‘A what?’
‘Us, don’t you get it! We fly out of this cage and they just pick us off.’
The thought of this sent shivers down the snow-white spines of the doves.
And so, when it came time for the doves to burst out of the cage and majestically fly around, they all just..sat still.
The world viewed this as an omen of great import; and collectively decided to stop all aggression, fighting, meanness and even harsh language…which was good. (unlike this joke which doesn’t even have a punchline)
Please join the San Vito Bird Club this Sunday, May 12th, for a Bird Walk down in Tres Rios. Approximately twelve Crested Oropendola nests are to be found in a tall Poro tree. These nests are actively attended by both Ma and Pa Oropendola. What’s going on inside the nests? Eggs…chicks…what? Let’s see if we can find out.
Meet me, Greg Homer, at the Motola Bakery between 6:30 and 7:00 am (enjoy a coffee and a doughnut if you wish). At 7:01 we’ll drive down to the site. Bring a folding chair if you’d like but I’ll have a few extra. This is a wonderful birding site and we will also be walking along the Tres Rios road, watching and listening for other bird species.
Perhaps, following the walk we should return to the Motola Bakery for what is…according to San Vito Bird Club founder Alison Olivieri…the BEST GALLO PINTO in Coto Brus!
Hope to see you there. As always, binoculars available as needed.
Crested Oropendola (minimalist interpretation, artist Greg Homer)
Having a lazy, lounging late morning on my hands, I queued up an episode of the old ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ TV show and stretched out to enjoy it.
During the narrative, a couple of the Enterprise crew members are investigating some serious space problem on some strange planet (this happens in almost EVERY Star Trek episode). The crew member and an alien planet guy are discussing how to solve the serious space problem. The two of them are chatting together while relaxing in stylish and modernistic space patio chairs in a lovely outdoor space garden.
*As you birders know, Coto Brus is currently inundated with literally thousands of migratory Swainson’s Thrushes. These Thrushes give out with a distinctive and most pleasant song during their stay.*
So, I’m watching the show with one ear and listening to the Swainson’s Thrushes just outside my window with the other ear (or so I thought). I pause the show for just a bit…and the Thrush song stops too! What the…! I start the show again and you guessed it! The Swainson’s Thrushes started back with their singing.
How Swainson’s Thrushes ever got to this weird alien planet out in the final frontier…I don’t know. But they did. I guess nature finds a way.
Do you have any reminiscences of identifying bird songs from a movie or TV show? If so, share them with me and I’ll share them with our readers. Send to Greg Homer:
Please join the San Vito Bird Club for our regular guided Bird Walk, this Sunday…April 14th…at the Wilson Botanical Garden. Meet at Recepcion at 7am. Binoculars and field guides available as needed. Coffee and discussion to follow.
Please join the San Vito Bird Club this Sunday at 7am for a bird walk and an exploration of nature…in a new locale.
The Mycelium Forest Project (Bosque Micelio); on our well-known Magic Road, (see map) is our destination. Easy access from the Magic Road…good parking, gentle trails. Bring your own water, please.
Three ways to get there:
Meet me, Greg Homer, at the start of the Magic Road, just past my El Tangaral wooden gate at 6:45am.
Drive down the Magic Road yourself from the Linda Vista side. We will meet up at the new Cabanas Bosque del Canto right on the Magic Road (see photo).
Drive up the Magic Road from the Tres Rios side; again we’ll meet up at the Cabanas Bosque del Canto at 7am.
Should be a good walk and maybe…maybe…we’ll even find some Easter eggs.
(from SVBC charter member and master bird bander, Judy Richardson)
Sadly, we’ve all found a bird below our window, either stunned or killed by the impact. There are just certain times of day that our windows seem to, disappear, and birds think they’re just flying through the woods. Our heart breaks when they hit the window hard enough to kill them. The stunned birds usually sit there; keep your cats and dogs inside, as it can take a while before they fly off. If they are in the sun; I have picked them up and put them in a shady shrub where I can keep an eye on them as they recover. Or if it’s cold, I put the inside in a box with a saucer of water. If it’s a hummingbird, offering a bit of sugar water can mean the difference between life and death! I hope you read the last post about Ceci Sansonetti ‘s rescuing a tiny White Crested Coquette.
Now we come to the always interesting “bird chase“ through your house! Has everyone had this happen? In Connecticut, where I live, I always have a Carolina or House Wren come to visit! They are cleaning the insects along the doors and windows and then lose track of the exit! Panic sets in. For me, the investment of a $15 butterfly net has helped enormously! Since it’s usually my in screened porch, I leave the door open and eventually out she goes. Otherwise, from a long-handled distance, I can coax the birdie closer to the exit without causing panic!
Once in Costa Rica, I had a Green Hermit slide in the door after feeding right outside it. The butterfly net helped guide it out, even though my ceilings are very high. That net has taken out Scorpions, Wolf Spiders, and hornets! I’ve even caught the odd butterfly, just for close-up viewing purposes!
***
How to hold a bird in your hand so that neither you or the bird get injured. The bird bander’s grip.
San Vito Bird Club 
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