Afternoon folks, I'm passing along an announcement from Craig Thompson, WI-DNR regarding last summer's Jocotoco Birdathon. This was a Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative (WBCI) sponsored fundraiser for the Jocotoco foundation in Ecuador. A quick google search will start you drooling about the reserves they protect and the associated avifauna.
As you will see from Craig's post we are heading back for another fundraiser this summer. There are still spots left and you are always welcome to contribute. Many of these sites contain "our" birds on their wintering grounds. Contact Craig if interested at [email protected] or click on the Long-wattled Umbrellabird at www.wisconsinbirds.org. If you or your group is interested in a program regarding our trip, please contact me offline. Thanks, Andy Paulios Madison, WI "Well, it happened. The first ever WBCI - sponsored Jocotoco Birdathon was a smashing success! In September, a group of twelve adventurous birders, well stocked with gorp and rain gear, headed to the Andes of Ecuador to do a bit of "conservation birding". It's difficult to acurately describe birding in Ecuador, but "sensory overload" somehow seems appropriate. When all was said and done, we heard and saw 390 species of birds. The tally included 47 species of tanagers, 33 species of hummers, myriad flycatchers, antbirds, ovenbirds, tapaculos, and a smattering of the rarest feathered denizens on the planet - Jocotoco Antpitta, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, and Golden-plumed Parakeet, to name just a few of the headliners. We also raised more than $14,000 to help purchase critical bird habitat in Ecuador. We had so much fun, we're doing it again in August of 2007! If you're interested in world class birding and would like to help raise badly needed land acquisition funds for the Mindo Coludforest Foundation, please click on the Long-Wattled Umbrellabird at www.wisconsinbirds.org and consider joining us for the second annual WBCI International Birdathon. There still spots available." Saludos, -Craig Thompson __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
