Author Archives: AWOlivieri

Quiz Bird Revealed/La Respuesta del Prueba!

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Thanks to new member Jo Davidson for her photo of a female Blue-black Grassquit!

Female Blue-black Grassquit. Photo by Jo Davidson

Our contest had four entries — all wrong, so we are eating the cookies ourselves and hoping for better results next time.

Entrant #1 and #3 thought our bird was a female Indigo Bunting to which we say, “Good try, but please note the description in A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica by Stiles and Skutch saying ‘ . . . females below much less streaked than female Blue-black Grassquit.’ ”

Entrant #2 postulated a female Slaty Finch but, again, note bill shape and description, “. . . faint, sparse dusky streaking on breast and sides. . . Upper mandible blackish. . .”

Entrant #4 threw caution to the wind calling our grassquit a Bobolink. Bobolinks are quite a bit bigger than grassquits although I will happily admit discerning size in a photograph is often more difficult than in the field and all our contestant had to go on here for comparison were some leaves.

Gracias a nuestra miembre nueva Jo Davidson para su foto de una hembra Volatinia jacarina!

Todos los respuestos estaban incorrectos, entonces vamos a comer las galletas yo mismo y esperar una resultada mejor proximo vez: jajaja!

Pop Quiz: What Bird Is This?/Una prueba: cual ave es?

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OK — ready? First person to correctly identify this bird wins a prize: one dozen home-made Chocolate Chip Cookies! Ummmmm, I can smell them right now baking away in the oven.

Quiz Bird! Photo by Jo Davidson

Quiz Bird! Photo by Jo Davidson

Listo? Identificar este ave y gana 12 galletas de chocolate, hizo de mano! Ellas estan en el horno ahora — mmmmm, huelan rico!

SEND YOUR ANSWER to: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com or click here to contact us.

ENVIA SU CONTESTA a: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com o haga clic aqui para contactarnos.

 

 

Annual Meeting 2014/Reunión Anual 2014

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“Bird Walk and Breakfast” was the theme of this year’s Annual Meeting, celebrating 10 years of birding in San Vito!

'Bird Walk and Breakfast.' Photo by Harry Hull

‘Bird Walk and Breakfast.’ Photo by Harry Hull

President Alison Olivieri reviewed Club activities in 2013, including twice-monthly Bird Walks at the Wilson Garden, several day trips to locations such as Rio Negro and Las Alturas, and an overnight trip to Alexander Skutch’s farm Las Cusingas. The mist netting team completed the ninth year of its Avian Monitoring Project, with Principal Investigator Dr. Steve Latta of the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA, and his Connecticut collaborator Judy Richardson of the Connecticut Audubon Society. A new initiative, pilot programs of BirdSleuth-International – “Detectives de Pajaros” in San Vito – ran in five schools: Linda Vista, Canas Gordas, La Pintada, Las Brisas and Tres Rios.

The Grand Prize for the Big Bird Feeder Competition 2013 went to Pat Morgan with Gail and Harry Hull of Finca Cantaros as runners-up.

Executive Committee Members were elected as follows: Alison Olivieri, President; Harry Hull, Vice President; Fred Schroeder, Treasurer, and Lydia Vogt, Secretary-in-absentia.

Newly-elected Vice President Harry Hull. Photo by Gail Hull

Newly-elected Vice President Harry Hull. Photo by Gail Hull

We are pleased to have Harry join us on the EC, as his contributions to our Communications Committee in general and specifically the website have been enormous and are greatly appreciated.

Treasurer Fred Schroeder reported the Club as “financially healthy” for the Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2013. He also pointed out the Club’s biggest asset is our collection of donated binoculars!

Roni Chernin, “Detectives de Pajaros” teacher, gave a comprehensive report of our efforts in local schools in 2013 and the plans, now underway, for teaching this Cornell University education program in eight schools in the just-started academic year 2014. With Roni’s encouragement, meeting participants played “The Habitat Game” and another “Detectives de Pajaros” teacher, Kelley Rasch, was the victorious bird, gathering Water, Food, Air and Shelter faster than her competitors!

Newly-elected VP Harry Hull manned the audio-visual equipment to show one of Andrew England’s many classroom videos, ‘Migration Obstacles’ with a Question and Answer session fielded by Roni.

Undoubtedly the most exciting part of the morning was the announcement of an anonymous Matching Gift of up to $350 – the cost of running the program in one school. Thanks to our caring and generous members, the match was reached almost immediately so we can now fully fund the targeted eight schools for this year!

It was a hard row to hoe for VP Hull to follow this excitement but he gave an interesting and succinct report on our website (now two years old) that shows both visitor numbers and followers growing. Click here to see the document he showed to illustrate the past year’s website activity:

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“Caminata para Pajarear y Desayuno” fue el tema de este año de la Reunión anual, ¡Celebrando 10 años de pajarear en San Vito!

Making Breakfast: Chef George Alcock. Photo by Jean Schroeder

Making Breakfast: Chef George Alcock. Photo by Jean Schroeder

La Presidenta Alison Olivieri repasó las actividades del Club en el 2013, incluyendo caminatas bimensuales para ver pájaros en el Jardín Wilson, varias excursiones como la del Río Negro y Las Alturas, y una excursión nocturna a la granja Los Cusingos de Alexander Skutch. El equipo de redes de niebla completó el noveno año de su Proyecto de Monitoreo de Aves, con el Investigador Principal Dr. Steve Latta del National Aviary en Pittsburgh, PA, y su colaboradora de Connecticut, Judy Richardson del Connecticut Audubon Society. Una nueva iniciativa, programas piloto del BirdSleuth-International – “Detectives de Pajaros” en San Vito fueron ejecutados en cinco escuelas: Linda Vista, Cañas Gordas, La Pintada, Las Brisas y Tres Ríos.

El Gran Premio para la Competencia de Alimentadores de Pájaros fue para Pat Morgan con Gail and Harry Hull de Finca Cántaros como subcampeones.

Los miembros del Comité Ejecutivo fueron elegidos de la siguiente manera: Alison Olivieri, Presidenta; Harry Hull, Vicepresidente; Fred Schroeder, Tesorero y Lydia Vogt Secretaria-in-absentia. Estamos felices a tener Harry como vicepresidente asi como su trabajo sobre el Comité de Comunicaciones en general ha sido grandemente apreciado, específicamente, el sitio web.

Treasurer Fred Schroeder, Gail Hull, 'Detectives de Pajaros' Teacher Roni Chernin. Photo by Jean Schroeder

Treasurer Fred Schroeder, Gail Hull, ‘Detectives de Pajaros’ Teacher Roni Chernin. Photo by Jean Schroeder

El Tesorero Fred Schroeder reportó como “financieramente saludable” el Año Fiscal que terminó el 30 de Septiembre del 2013. El mencionó también que el acierto más grande del Club es ¡Nuestra colección de binoculares donados!

La profesora de “Detectives de Pájaros” Roni Chernin, dio un comprensivo reporte de nuestros esfuerzos en escuelas locales durante el 2013 y los planes, ahora en marcha, para enseñar este programa educativo de la Universidad de Cornell en ocho escuelas en el recién iniciado año académico 2014. Con el estímulo de Roni, se reunieron participantes para jugar “The Habitat Game” (“El Juego del Hábitad”).

Otra profesora de “Detectives de Pajaros”, Kelley Rasch resultó el ave ganadora, recogiendo Agua, Comida, Aire y Refugio ¡Más rápido que sus competidores!

'Detectives de Pajaros' Teacher Kelley Rasch: winner of 'The Habitat Game'! Photo by Jean Schroeder

‘Detectives de Pajaros’ Teacher Kelley Rasch: winner of ‘The Habitat Game’! Photo by Jean Schroeder

El recién electo vicepresidente, Harry Hull condujo el equipo audio visual para enseñar uno de los muchos videos de clase de Andrew England. “Migration Obstacles” (“Obstáculos Migratorios”) con una sesión de Preguntas y Respuestas por Roni Chernin.

Indudablemente la parte más emocionante de la mañana fue el anuncio de un Concurso

de Regalos de $350 – el costo de ejecutar el programa en una escuela. Gracias a nuestros

considerados y generosos miembros, la meta se alcanzó casi inmediatamente así que ¡Ahora podemos costear completamente las ocho escuelas meta para este año!

Fue un largo trecho por recorrer para el vicepresidente Harry Hull pero, siguiendo su emoción, el dio un interesante y preciso reporte de nuestro Sitio Web (de dos años ahora) que muestra un crecimiento en ambos, número de visitantes y seguidores. Aquí se ve el reporte.

New Tee Shirts for Sale!/¡Nuevas Camisetas a la Venta!

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Help us teach environmental education and Citizen Science class ‘Detectives de Pajaros’ in local schools by placing your order now for our new 2014 SVBC tee shirts.

Little Black Tee Shirt SVBC 2014. Runway Model Michael Olivieri.

Little Black Tee Shirt SVBC 2014. Runway Model Michael Olivieri.

As you can see from this photo, the tee shirts are little black numbers sporting our stylish logo that is sure to be all the rage on the ‘birding shirt’ runway here in Costa Rica and beyond.

We ordered a total of 20, hoping for an instant sell-out so our supply is, as they say, ‘limited’. In men’s and women’s sizes we have 1 small, 4 medium, 3 large and 2 in extra-large.

For a mere $15 or C7,500 apiece, we think they’re reasonably priced and hope you agree.

To place your order, please email us at sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com. For residents, we will set them aside and deliver them promptly. For out-of-country orders, we will have to include shipping and handling costs @ $5 per shirt so all our profits will go to fund a ‘Detectives de Pajaros’ class in or around San Vito!

¡Nuevas Camisetas a la Venta!

Ayúdanos a enseñar educación ambiental y las clases de Ciencias Ciudadanas “Detectives de Pájaros” en escuelas locales ordenando ahora sus nuevas camisas SVBC 2014.

Como puedes ver en la foto, las camisas son pequeños números negros que hacen nuestro elegante logo más deportivo y que de seguro estarán en la pasarela de “la camiseta para pajarear” aquí en Costa Rica y más allá.

Ordenamos un total de 20 con la esperanza de una venta total instantánea así que nuestras existencias son, como dicen, “limitadas”. En tallas de hombre y de mujer tenemos: 1 pequeña, 4 medianas, 3 grandes y 2 extra grandes.

Por sólo $15 o C7,500 cada una, pensamos que están razonablemente valoradas y esperamos que estés de acuerdo.

Por favor envíanos un correo electrónico: puede hacer clic aqui para ordenar. Para residentes, vamos a apartarlas y entregarlas prontamente. Para órdenes fuera del país, tendremos que incluir costos de manipulación y envío pues ¡toda la ganancia irá a financiar una clase de “Detectives de Pájaros” en o en los alrededores de San Vito!

Pat Morgan Wins the Big Birdfeeder Competition 2013

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Pat Morgan's Golden-olive Woodpecker.

Pat Morgan’s Golden-olive Woodpecker.

SVBC member Pat Morgan is the Grand Prize Winner of the Birdfeeder Competition for 2013 with a total of 25 species! At the end of December, she spotted a Golden-Olive Woodpecker, took this photo and jumped into First Place ahead of six other entries.

Gail and Harry Hull of Finca Cantaros are the Runners-Up with a total of 24.

Because the counts were so close both competitors will be awarded a prize at the SVBC Annual Meeting in February (date to be announced shortly).

Now is the time to start your Feeder List for 2014! Have your binos, a notepad and a pencil at the ready so you can record all species in accordance with the rules: the bird must either land on the feeder (or hanging fruit) or be seen feeding on fallen pieces on the ground underneath.  Ready? Set? GO!

Northern Cardinal. Photo by

Northern Cardinal. Photo by Suzanne Dargie.

And just for a laugh, here is a species that probably won’t be seen on our lists any time soon.  Barb and Wally Barton’s niece sent it along to remind them of the frozen northland!

‘Butterflies and Spheres’ Trip Report

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Written by Pat Morgan

Participants: Naturalist Guide Eugenio Garcia, Escort Guide Alison Olivieri, Judith and Joe Ippolito, Barbara Keeler and Wally Barton, Caroline Torres, Veronica Torres, Terry Farling, Pat Morgan and Steve Allen.

After a slightly disjointed start, with missed ‘rendezvouses’ in San Vito, our three­-car expedition finally met up at the Bomba in Palmar Norte. After filling up (on drinks and munchies), we set off for Big Wave Dave’s Butterfly Paradise in nearby Osa Mountain Village.  Getting there presented one minor obstacle for the Ippolito’s front­wheel drive van:  a mas empinada mountain road.  Spinning to a stop, unable to go further, passengers clambered into Wally’s truck and Alison’s SUV.  Not quite a Keystone Cops scene, but a little touch and go as we watched Wally “try” to slide into a ditch and then slip and slide back toward Alison’s car. He finally prevailed in moving uphill and forward without further incident and we sallied forth juntos.

Butterfly Paradise (Photo by Pat Morgan)

Butterfly Paradise (Photo by Pat Morgan)

Big Wave Dave, a transplant from Ocean City, Maryland, has built Butterfly Paradise “from scratch.”  He now has about 30 species of butterflies in his enclosure, fed and nurtured by specific plant species. A talkative chap, Dave gave an excellent presentation, moving throughout the enclosure, showing Morpho pupae at their dinner leaves, pupae emerging from cocoons, along with an abundance of information on butterfly diets, habitat in the wild, and life cycles.  Eugenio and others also provided tidbits of information, i.e., the fact that only one group of butterflies — “cracker” or “brush-footed butterflies” (all in in the genus Hamadryas) — can make a clicking sound used in territorial displays. Dave, using dead and dried butterflies, explained and demonstrated their flight mechanism while some of us, ears still listening, were chasing butterflies with our cameras.

Dave in the Orchid Enclosure (Photo by Pat Morgan)

Dave in the Orchid Enclosure (Photo by Pat Morgan)

Several Scarlet Macaws, high up in the flaming yellow Colorados that had showered us with a flower storm of yellow petals, squawked a farewell before we departed back down the mountain to enjoy an excellent lunch at the Heladeria Diquis in Palmar Norte.

Afterwards, having lost a bit more time to chasing butterflies than anticipated, we chose to go to the close-by Parque de Esferas in Palma Sur to view a collection of Stone Spheres (instead of journeying further to Finca Seis closer to Sierpe where the giant spheres are allegedly left in situ). Eugenio Garcia shared all his archeological knowledge and experience about these mysterious rocks, suggesting a future trip to Bolas near Buenas Aires where it is believed the granite from which these stones were hand-chiseled was quarried some 1500 years ago.

Pat's Healing Ceremony (Photo by Barbara Keeler Barton)

Pat’s Healing Ceremony (Photo by Barbara Keeler Barton)

Also, Eugenio facilitated a healing ceremony on one of the spheres, Pat Morgan being the recipient, after explaining it is believed the spheres hold and channel a lot of power.  Whether it was the power of suggestion or the power of the spheres, Pat felt a little less pain afterwards.

Hot and sweaty after being down at sea level, the expeditioners returned to the fresh air of San Vito, all in agreement that it was indeed a fun and informative day of learning and camaraderie.  Those who did not jump on the invitation to come missed out on a great trip.

Spheres, Butterflies and Maybe a Bat Falcon

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Heliconius erato petiverana

Heliconius erato petiverana. Photo by Harry Hull.

Please join us next Saturday, Jan. 4, for a Day Trip to nearby Palmar Sur and Palmar Norte. In Palmar Sur our leader, Eugenio Garcia, will show us a good spot to see the mysterious, ancient stone spheres of Costa Rica and discuss several current theories about their creation and use. We’ll also visit Butterfly Paradise at Osa Mountain Village and have lunch in Palmar Norte.

Although this is not a real ‘birding trip’, we could see some interesting species along the way. Frankly, we’re operating on the assumption that birders are curious folk and hope this trip will be of interest to many of you.

Costs include a $15 (or C7,500) per person admittance fee to the butterfly enclosure (children 5 and under are free) plus gas sharing, lunch money and an optional gift for Eugenio’s time and effort. Other necessities include binoculars, camera, sunscreen, water, etc.

Photo of stone spheres from www.templeilluminatus.com.

Photo of stone spheres from http://www.templeilluminatus.com.

The limit is 15 participants so please let us know ASAP if you would like to come along and if you are willing to drive by sending an email to: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com. We’ll send out an itinerary and arrange carpooling. Hope to see you there!

If you have not renewed your membership or joined for 2014, this is perfect opportunity to do so! Resident Memberships are C10,000 per person; International Memberships are C7,500.

Big Birdfeeder Competition Closing Dec. 31, 2013

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Tropical Mockingbird, Julie Girard's ace of trump. (Photo by Julie Girard)

Tropical Mockingbird, Julie Girard’s ace of trump. (Photo by Julie Girard)

Don’t forget to send us your Birdfeeder List for the Big Birdfeeder Competition by the end of this month — December 31, 2013. We’ll have a nice prize waiting for you at the SVBC Annual Meeting in February!

So far, we have three ‘official’ entries and two ‘unofficial’ entries so please send us your completed list TODAY!

You have only SIX days left to submit your list to us at: sanvitobirdclub@gmail.com

 

 

 

Our New ‘Education’ Pages

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BirdSleuth logo simpleWe invite you to visit our two new website pages: “Education” and “Detectives de Pajaros Videos”.

The Education page–click here–is where you will find an up-to-date summary of our collaboration with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Education Program “BirdSleuth-International” or, in Latin America, “Detectives de Pajaros”. We hope it will pique your interest and galvanize you to get involved by visiting a class, donating materials, or sponsoring the program in a local school.

And we hope you will have fun visiting the “Detectives de Pajaros Videos” page–here— where you can watch parts of the program in action. We have written a brief summary of each lesson to introduce the accompanying video. Special thanks are extended to member Andrew England who donated his time and talents creating all the videos.

Note that you can always get to the Education page and its sub-page, “Detectives de Pajaros Videos”,  by clicking on the “Education” tab on the navigation bar under the banner photo of any page or simply by clicking on the “Detectives de Pajaros” logo (illustrated above) in the right-hand column of the home page.

Contact us by clicking here to provide your always-welcome feedback!

Join the Big Birdfeeder Competition 2013!

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From now until December 31, we’re having a Big Birdfeeder Competition: count all the species of birds visiting your feeder between now and then and send us your list by clicking here.

The rules are simple! You can count any species you are able to identify with certainty that lands on your feeder or on the ground under the feeder provided it is eating fallen scraps and not insects or something else. In the interests of fairness, the birding experts of the Club will review the final lists and remove species they feel have been mis-identified based on their knowledge of the birds of our area.

Just to get your competitive juices flowing here’s the current score, as of this post: Finca Cantaros is in the lead with 22 species, Pat Morgan claims second place with 21 and our own Finca Corteza is in third place with 15.

But, we have a month and a half to go so put on your binos, grab a pencil and paper, take out your field guide and get to work!

Please submit your completed entry by midnight on December 31st via email by clicking here. The winner will be announced by January 7, 2014. A prize (or prizes in case of a tie) will be awarded at the Annual Meeting in February 2014.