A pair of Masked Ducks, Nomonyx dominicus, was seen Saturday, April 25 at Finca Cantaros, by an intrepid group from the SVBC including Roni Chernin, Jo Davidson, Peter Wendell, Nick and Mary from Colorado, and Gail Hull. These birds are often described as “secretive” and “uncommon” and can be difficult to find SO: here’s your chance!
Male Masked Duck in breeding plumage! Photo by Gail Hull (2014).
Our Mystery Bird from last week’s Quiz #4 was correctly identified by Member Liz Allen of Concepcion as a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (photo by Jo Davidson).
Congratulations to Lety Andino of San Vito; Sandie Guthans of Baton Rouge, LA, and Dave Janas of Las Cruces who also correctly identified Quiz Bird #4 but sent their answers a little too late!
Thank you to Member Jo Davidson for her photo of this Rose-breasted Grosbeak that is either an immature male or an immature or adult female. See photo below for an adult male!
Felicidades a miembre Liz Allen of Concepcion: su respuesta estaba correcto: Rose-breasted Grosbeak!
Tuvimos tres respuestas mas este vez de Lety Andino de San Vito; Sandie Guthans de Baton Rouge, LA, y Dave Janas de Las Cruces — todos correctos, pero un poquito demasiado tarde!
Gracias a nuestra miembre Jo Davidson para su foto arriba de un pheucticus ludovicianus; esta un macho joven o posible una hembra joven o adulto. Abajo: un guapo macho adulto!
Photo of a beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak from Wikipedia.
Time to pull out your bird book and name the species for Quiz Bird #4!
Mystery Bird #4 (photo by Jo Davidson)
Location Clue #1: this photo was taken at Finca Las Nubes in Linda Vista by Jo Davidson
Time of Year Clue #2: January
Philosophy Clue #3: Things are not always as they seem
Send your answer quickly to: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com. For correctly identifying this Mystery Bird, the prize will be chocolate cake for residents or, if we have an international winner, a Tico lanyard!
Please Note: if your initials are JG, JZ, JD, JR, GH or FS you are disqualified
¡Es momento de sacar su guía de campo de aves para nombrar la especie del Acertijo Aviario # 4!
Ubicación, Pista #1: Esta fotografía fue tomada en Finca Las Nubes, en Linda Vista, por Jo Davidson.
Mes del año, Pista #2: Enero
Filosofía, Pista #3: Las cosas no siempre son lo que parecen.
Envíe su respuesta rápido a: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com. Por identificar correctamente esta Ave Misteriosa, el premio será un pastel de chocolate, para los residentes, ¡O un collar para gafete Tico si tenemos un ganador internacional!
Nota: Si sus iniciales son JG, JZ, JD, JR, GH o FS, usted está descalificado.
Sigue en espanol
Ancient petroglyph (photo by Monique Girard).
On March 4 Henry Barrantes, owner of Desafios Tours, led the SVBC on a cultural visit to Reserva La Casona, home of the Ngabe-bugle Guaymi people. On the way into the reserve we stopped to view one of the area’s most beautiful petroglyphs that is fairly well hidden in a grove of vegetation. With Henry’s help, we were lucky to see this ancient artifact.
Accompanied by a local guide, we toured the village and were impressed with the new Ebais medical center buildings where we were fortunate, again, to have had a chance to speak with a traditional medical practitioner who works there in tandem with the Coto Brus regional health team.
Henry, Lydia and Jean hurry to join the dance (photo by Julie Girard).
Two traditional dances were performed, led by a village elder who is one of the last bastions of these events. The words to these dances are not exactly ‘song lyrics’ in our understanding of those words but speak more directly to and about the natural world of animals and plants in the surrounding forest.
After about a two-hour visit, we had much to think about. Henry explained the almost constant movement between Panama and southern Costa Rica of these indigenous people who are citizens of two countries and have special governmental status allowing them to move freely back and forth — unlike Costa Rican and Panamanian citizens or even tourists who are required to have passports, automobile documents, bus and plane tickets and proof of cash availability.
Participants included Monique Girard, Jean Schroeder, Lydia Vogt, Julie Girard, Alison Olivieri, Barbara Keeler-Barton, Judith and Joe Ippolito, Judy Richardson and Henry Barrantes.
Espanol aqui
El 4 marzo, el dueño de Desafíos Tours, Henry Barrantes, guió al SVBC en una visita cultural a la Reserva La Casona, hogar de las personas Ngabe-bugle Guaymi. De camino a la reserva, nos detuvimos para ver uno de los petroglifos más hermosos del área, que está bastante bien escondido en la vegetación. Con la ayuda de Henry, tuvimos suerte de ver este antiguo artefacto.
Anciano Ngabe dirigiendo el baile (Fotografía de Julie Girard).
Acompañados por un guía local, recorrimos el poblado y nos impresionamos con los nuevos edificios del centro medico Ebais donde, nuevamente, fuimos afortunados de tener la oportunidad de hablar con un practicante de medicina tradicional que trabaja ahí en conjunto con el equipo de salud regional de Coto Brus.
Se realizaron dos bailes tradicionales, liderados por un anciano del pueblo quien es uno de los últimos bastiones de estos eventos. Las palabras para estos bailes no son exactamente “líricas” tal y como las entendemos. Estas palabras hablan más directamente al y sobre el mundo natural, los animales y las plantas del bosque circundante.
Estudiantes de La Casona (Fotografía de Monique Girard).
Después de una visita de cerca de dos horas, teníamos mucho en qué pensar. Henry nos explicó el movimiento casi constante, entre Panamá y el sur de Costa Rica, de estas personas indígenas; quienes poseen la ciudadanía de ambas naciones y un estatus gubernamental especial que les permite moverse libremente entre ambos países. Esto en contraposición con los ciudadanos costarricense o panameños, o incluso turistas, quienes están obligados a portar un pasaporte, documentos automovilísticos, pasajes de autobús o de avión y probar que disponen de efectivo.
Los participantes fueron Monique Girard, Jean Schroeder, Lydia Vogt, Julie Girard, Alison Olivieri, Barbara Keeler-Barton, Judith and Joe Ippolito, Judy Richardson y Henry Barrantes.
The winner of Bird Quiz #3 is TERESA BUENO of Atenas, CR, who is fast on her feet, quick with her fingers and good at telling a tale! Congratulations, Teresa! We will find a way to send your binocular cleaning cloth to Quepos, if we have to deliver it ourselves: hmmm, that’s a thought.
The answer is Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia. We had a total of five correct answers, of which Teresa’s was the first received, and one wrong response.
Spotted Sandpiper from Wikipedia.
Mind you, this was an easy one. We could have tricked you with a photo of this species in non-breeding plumage like the one accompanying this post.
Thank you to all participants!
La respuesta es Spotted Sandpiper, Actitus macularia. Tuvimos seis respuestas este vez, solo uno era incorrecto!
Felicidades a TERESA BUENO de Alajuela de Atenas, Cosa Rica! Su respuesta estaba la primera recibido! Gracias a todos los participantes!
This will be a race to see who responds first because this one is easy!
Mystery Bird Photo by Gail Hull
The Two Clues
Location: Finca Cantaros
Time of year: October
This time the prize will be a lens cleaning cloth that you can attach to your binoculars, courtesy of The Audubon Shop in Madison, CT.
Good luck everybody: the clock is ticking!
Please send your answer to: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com and if your initials are GH, JF, JG, JZ or FS, you are not eligible for this one!
¡Esta será una carrera para ver quien responde primero porque esta es fácil!
Las Dos Pistas
La ubicación: Finca Cántaros
El momento del año: el mes octubre
Esta vez el premio será un pañito para limpiar lentes que puede sujetar a sus binoculares, cortesía de The Audobon Shop en Madison, CT.
Por favor envíe su respuesta a: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com
Suerte a todo el mundo: ¡El reloj está corriendo!
Pepe Castiblanco, naturalist guide and co-owner of Casa Botania, with Robert Dean (photo by Harry Hull).
Illustrator of The Birds of Costa Rica and The Birds of Panama, Robert Dean was the featured guest at the SVBC Annual Meeting 2015.
Robert led a Bird Walk at the Wilson Botanical Garden on the morning of the meeting, Saturday, Feb. 21, that ended with an all-time high species count of 65!
Following the walk, members adjourned to Cascata del Bosco for a mid-morning brunch. At the business meeting, President Alison Olivieri summed up club activities in 2014, Treasurer Fred Schroeder gave a financial report for fiscal year 2014, BirdSleuth-International Teacher Roni Chernin provided a detailed report on the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology Education Program in local schools and Communications Chairman Harry Hull reported statistics from our website.
Brunch dessert! (Photo by Jean Schroeder)
Big Bird Feeder Competition
A Consolation Prize was given to Gail and Harry Hull of Finca Cantaros for the unhappy appearance of Species #27and #28 two days after the official closing date. Wendy Russell took Second Runner Up with 25 species. The feeders at El Tangaral made Greg Homer First Runner Up with 28 species but Roni Chernin swept First Place with her bananas from Finca Paz y Flor! Congratulations to all and let’s beat Roni’s 28 in 2016!
Additionally, members faced a challenging Bird ID Quiz created by Member Jo Davidson featuring her photos of 40 species commonly seen in and around San Vito. ONLY our guest, Mr. Dean, correctly identified 100% of the birds!
Robert then spoke about his role in creating a new field guide, The Birds of Costa Rica, with Richard Garrigues nine years ago. The newly revised edition published in January was available for members so Robert finished the day by sharing his unpublished artwork and signing books, new and old!
A Bird Walk led by Robert Dean, top step with Julie Girard, kicked off the Annual Meeting 2015 (photo by Harry Hull).
The Man Who Loved and Planted Trees
The SVBC Annual Meeting 2015 was dedicated to Member Ernie Vogt who never failed to encourage and generously support the Club’s activities during his and Lydia’s time here with us in San Vito.
ERNIE VOGT 1942-2015
While the rest of us were walking around, peering through our binoculars, oohing and aahing: “Oh, it’s a White-throated Spadebill” and “Ooooo, look, a Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant”, Ernie was busy planting trees. We understand, after talking with Lydia about this on several occasions, that Ernie was always fascinated by trees. Many of you know they had an avocado orchard in California. Many of you also know that Ernie started planting trees the year they arrived – 2009 – and that year managed to put 500 new trees into the forest at Finca Sofia. Eventually, the number of trees he planted grew to 2,000.
Ernie appreciated birds and even got excited about them. But Ernie knew that birds need trees – and he knew they’re not alone. We all need trees: insects, mammals, birds, reptiles and even rain forest fish need trees to survive. So, please raise your coffee cups to Ernie who understood the Big Picture in a way many of us do not. And let’s all plant trees this year and think of Ernie.
Lydia and Ernie birding at the Wilson Botanical Garden (photo by Alison Olivieri).
Thermal pool soakers (photo by Julie Girard).
The recent day trip with Desafios Tour to Aguas Calientes and Finca La Libertad was a “birdy” and watery wonderful time! Everyone succumbed to the beauty of the two main thermal pools, secluded in the forest next to the fast-moving water of the Rio Coto. Members enjoyed the morning soaking in the warm water, hiking further into the woods to find a third pool, photographing local flora and fauna and just sitting on the huge rocks, chatting and enjoying the scenic backdrop.
Our very first bird was an obligingly perched Purple Crowned Fairy, seen well and by everybody. Other avian highlights included a likewise perched Double-toothed Kite and a sweep of ‘pecho amarillos’: Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Gray-capped Flycatcher and Tropical Kingbird.
Purple-crowned Fairy (photo by Jeff Worman).
Our leader from Desafios, Henry Barrantes, then led us to his family’s huge farm, Finca La Libertad, where we had a delicious lunch cooked by his wife, Francini, and served by his daughter Valeria who also accompanied us on our previous Desafios Tour at Los Chocuacos.
Espanol aqui
¡El reciente tour de un día con Desafíos Tour a Aguas Calientes y a la Finca La Libertad fue un “aviario” y acuoso momento increíble! Todo el mundo sucumbió a la belleza de las dos piscinas termales principales, aisladas en el bosque junto a la rápida corriente del Río Coto. Los miembros disfrutaron la mañana empapándose en el agua cálida, adentrándose en el bosque en busca de una tercera piscina, tomando fotografías de la flora y fauna locales y sentándose en las enormes rocas para hablar y observar el escénico ambiente.
Balancing act (photo by Julie Girard).
Nuestro primer pájaro fue un colibrí picopunzón amablemente posado y visto fácilmente por todo el mundo. Otras aves destacables incluyeron un gavilán bidentado posado de la misma forma y variedad de “pecho amarillos”: benteveo, mosquerón picudo, benteveo mediano, bienteveo cabecigrís y el benteveo real.
Nuestro líder de Desafíos, Henry Barrantes, nos guio luego a la enorme granja de su familia, Finca La Libertad, donde compartimos un delicioso almuerzo hecho por su esposa, Francini, y servido por su hija Valeria, quien nos acompañó también en nuestro tour con Desafíos a Los Chocuacos.
Please join us at this year’s Annual Meeting, Saturday, Feb. 21. We will begin the day with a Bird Walk at the Wilson Botanical Garden, starting at 7:30 am at the Reception Building – please note this is not our usual meeting place! The walk will be led by our Special Guest Robert Dean, illustrator of The Birds of Costa Rica.
New, revised edition of The Birds of Costa Rica by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean
At 10:30 am, we will adjourn to Cascata del Bosco for brunch followed by the general meeting. This year we will dedicate our gathering to Ernie Vogt. The agenda will include reports by Treasurer Fred Schroeder, ‘Detectives de Pajaros’ Head Teacher Roni Chernin and Communications Committee Chair Harry Hull, a vote to approve 2015 slate of officers, a special surprise event, and a chat and book signing with Robert focusing on his inspiration to illustrate this invaluable field guide, artistic methods and more. Note the meeting is for members only so if you would like to attend but have not as yet paid your annual dues for 2015 — Resident Members $20 or C10,000; International Members $15 or C7,500 — please bring them!
Brunch will cost C5,000 (or $10) per person and will include fresh fruit, fancy eggs, hash browned potatoes, juice, tea, coffee and dessert.
We need a final count for Cascatas by the morning of Friday, Feb. 20, so PLEASE send an email to: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com or click here to let us know you will attend!
¡Reunión Anual 2015 el 21 de febrero!
Por favor acompáñenos en la próxima Reunión Anual el sábado 21 de febrero. Comenzaremos el día con una caminata para ver pájaros en el Jardín Botánico Wilson, saliendo a las 7:30 am en el Edificio de la Recepción – ¡Por favor note que este no es nuestro punto de reunión usual! La caminata será guiada por nuestro Invitado Especial, Robert Dean, ilustrador de The Birds of Costa Rica.
A las 10:03 am, nos retiraremos a Cascata del Bosco para un desayuno tardío seguido de la reunión general que será dedicada a Ernie Vogt este año. La agenda incluirá reportes del Tesorero Fred Schroeder, La Profesora Principal de “Detectives de Pájaros”; Roni Chernin y el Presidente del Comité de Comunicaciones; Harry Hull, una votación para aprobar la nómina de oficiales para el 2015, un evento sorpresa especial y firma de libros y charla con Robert enfocada en su inspiración para ilustrar esta invaluable guía de cambio, métodos artísticos y demás.
Este evento es solamente para miembros así que, si no ha pagado sus cuotas para 2015 pero le gustaría asistir, por favor esté preparado para pagar en la reunión (C10,000 miembros residentes).
El almuerzo tardío costará C5,000 (o $10) por persona e incluirá fruta fresca, huevos elegantes, picadillo de papas doradas, jugo, té, café y postre.
Necesitamos un número final de participantes para Cascatas para la mañana del viernes 20 de febrero, ¡Así que POR FAVOR envíe un correo electrónico a: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com o haga clic aquí para dejarnos saber que va a asistir!
San Vito Bird Club 
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