The first half of November I was in Costa Rica's Orosi Valley for our 22nd
Operation RubyThroat citizen science expedition to the Neotropics. Mist netting
and live-trapping operations were centered at Ujarrás, a riverside agricultural
community whose cash crop is Chayote--a squash that flowers prolifically and
whose nectar is sought by hummers and other avifauna.
Over a nine-day period we spent six mornings in the field, banding ruby-throats
and other Neotropical migrants such as warblers and orioles, and photographing
other colorful resident birds that went unbanded. We also had time for field
trips to view other fauna and lush flora in natural areas, including Tapanti
National Park, Irazú Volcano, and Rancho Naturalista ("Home of the Snowcap").
My "This Week at Hilton Pond" installment for 1-30 November 2013 is a summation
of our most recent excursion, complete with more than a hundred photos and a
non-technical description of our results. The photo essay is extensive and may
take a while to download, but I think you'll find it enjoyable and informative.
To view the write-up, please visit
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek131101.html . (It's formatted for easy
reading on computer or tablet.)
Remember, experience and training are not necessary to participate in an
Operation RubyThroat trip to Central America; ANYONE with interest and
enthusiasm can be a citizen scientist! :-)
Happy (Neotropical) Nature Watching!
BILL
P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond
for timely updates on nature topics. Follow us on Twitter @hiltonpond.
=========
RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR., D.Sci.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org
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